


rose-jaded glasses

by KrispyShu



Series: Twisted Wonderland Fanfics [1]
Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anxiety, Attempt at Humor, Character Portrayal(s), Cussing/swearing; lots of it lmao, F/M, Freeform - Writing, Gen, Humor, I suck at summaries so rip, Inappropriate Humor, MC can sort of fight; its more like fight or flight, MC dislikes skirts sorry, MC is a tall woman, MC is a woman yet acts like a dude, MC's humor and sarcasm gets worse as the story goes on, Multi, Noncanon Character Interaction, Platonic at first, SPOILERS OMG I SHOULD TAG THAT SDFSDF, SPOILERS: Read at your own risk, Strong MC, Tomboyish MC, and by all i mean just the dorms, even if divus crewel is hot material, first works on here pls be nice sdfsddf, i cant tell height differences sobs, let kalim say shit, mc would just see him a little brother figure, might change rating to mature mostly because of inappropriate humor/sayings/phrases, no beta we die like men, ortho is a no as well, some angst maybe, teachers are a no, telling yall rn, then romantic later, theyre either super tall or super short for me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:43:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 78,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27727640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrispyShu/pseuds/KrispyShu
Summary: Atreo didn't think she would end up in a place like this.A place where villains were looked up to while the heroes were frowned upon.Surviving this place will be a piece of work that's for sure.(I suck at summaries sorry )+ Hiatus: Personal issues, will probably start updating once a week, every Friday +
Relationships: Original Character(s)/All, Original Female Character(s)/All
Series: Twisted Wonderland Fanfics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2028194
Comments: 26
Kudos: 123





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! This is my first fic on here so it might not be good sdsdf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC seems like a scardey cat at first but I swear she shapes up eventually!!  
> Please enjoy :0!!

Atreo wasn't expecting to be put on night guard duty for her part-time job but hey whatever it takes to make some money. She sighed as she ruffled her hair that was resting on her nape. Atreo recently got a[ haircut](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/734591991354228767/736687094411427981/unknown.png?width=311&height=474), [making](https://cdn2.stylecraze.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Bob-With-Bangs-And-An-Extended-Front.jpg) her look more masculine than feminine but she didn't mind. It made things in life easier, such as no longer getting catcalled by random men in the streets. 

Atreo hummed as she wandered around the museum she was tasked with guarding. Nothing too special, just making sure everything was in place. Atreo pulled her cap down more, making her hair go a bit all over the place, and waved her flashlight around. Walking around the exhibitions and galleries, Atreo hummed in satisfaction. Everything was in place.

Nodding her head in approval and mentally patting herself on the back, she quickly went to the security room to see anything on the cameras before the other guard comes in and takes the upcoming shift. 

Sitting on the desk chair then slid over to the desk, she clicked around on the dual monitors that had about six or more cameras up and running. Atreo hastily looked at the cameras to see if anyone or anything was out of the ordinary. Nothing of course. Seeing as there was nothing else to do, she quickly checked her phone for the time. _12:35 am_ , her phone practically screamed at her, making her eyes squint from the sudden light in the darkness that had enveloped her.

Putting away her phone Atreo hummed a little tune while she grabbed a broom from the closet. "Might as well and clean around the office while I'm here," Atreo mumbled to herself before sweeping the floor in gentle circles. 

Soon 2 am hit. The other night guard came in and released her from her shift so she can still catch up on some sleep. "Bye Mr. Willis!" Atreo waved and called out as she left through the door. Her only response was a grunt and a 'bye kid.' 

Hiking up the backpack that she brought from school onto her shoulders, Atreo began her trek back home. Glancing at the moon that started to have clouds cover it, it was at times like these where Atreos wished she was able to drive without anxiety pestering her. Normally, Atreo doesn't have a problem with the nights but tonight just felt... off. More than it usually was.

Feeling her body heat up with anxiety, her fingers began to twitch then proceeded to grab the handles of the backpack and clutched it tightly. Minding running through basically a thousand thoughts, Atreo inhaled and exhaled. _'There's no reason for me to be anxious and scared. Sure it felt different than what it usually did but that's no reason for my paranoia overflow.'_

Reassuring herself Atreo relaxed, or at least she thinks she did. She was still tense and she could feel the tension mostly rest on her shoulders. Almost as if the tension was a joke, Atreo chuckled. If you were to pay attention to her undertone, you could tell it had a nervous wobble in it. 

Atreo paused. What her luck. In the midst of her anxiety, she forgot about the forest that led to her house. ' _Kill me now!'_ Her mind mentally screamed as she felt her body shake with mixed emotions of anger and anxiety. Atreo gulped as she shakily took a few steps forwards then stopped to see if she heard anything. Nothing.

Letting out a breathy laugh, she took a few more, then more, and simply, more steps. Focusing on her feet and the trail home, she didn't bother to hear the forest noises. 'It's like you have selective hearing,' one of her friends had joked in the past, and Atreo had laughed. Right now, Atreo wasn't laughing as she would glance around her surroundings. 

Atreo noticed that there was a sudden small fog. _'Oh, that's_ ** _just_** _great,'_ Her brain vomited with sarcasm. Trying not to think too much about it, she sped walked on the trail. Atreo furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and irritation then took note of something.

"Is it just me or does this trail feel like it's taking forever? I would've been home by now... " Atreo mumbled to herself. After a few minutes went by with speed walking, Atreo let out a breathy sigh, trying to calm down her nerves. "I... I'm going in circles. I keep seeing the same vegetation and mushroom that's by the log." Atreo theorized out loud as she approached the log, crouching.

While Atreo was paying attention to tiny details, a bad habit she developed, she didn't notice the loud, _boisterous_ details that were screaming in her face till it was too late. Gulping and hands shaking, she stood up. **Oh lord the fog was thicker and bigger now.** It was almost reaching up the middle of the tree trunks.

Atreo froze when she heard the sound of hooves clicking and clacking against the dirt. "You know that when I thought 'kill me now' I didn't mean this," Atreo whispered feverishly to herself before crouching down, making sure she was hidden from whoever is riding their horse on the trail. 

The sounds of hooves came closer and closer but stopped near her. _'No!'_ Her brain wailed. _'They couldn't have spotted me... I'm not even wearing anything bright!'_ Silence was all there was. Practically sweating buckets, Atreo started to formulate a plan, albeit a stupid one too. 

_'I - I'll just fight them, no big deal! I'm sure being attacked by a woman will throw them off! Right? RIGHT?!'_ Atreo panicked before making up her mind. Fuck it, if she dies then at least she had the balls to fight back. With newfound confidence and adrenaline, Atreo popped out from the bushes she was hiding in.

"H - hey! If you want to throw hands then you're about to get mine to the face!" Atreo shouted but then immediately felt stupid. If she could she would kick herself in the head, and not because of what she said. No, it was the fact that she threatens to beat up an innocent horse... with a carriage... ? 

Atreo looked at the horse and practically almost shit bricks. The horse had glowing eyes?! Okay, Atreo understands that animals that the glowing glint due to something in their eyes but this was straight up like a _glowstick_. Not only that but the horse was staring straight at her like it was expecting her to do something. 

"H - hey buddy," Atreo greeted, slowly walking towards the horse like it was a wild animal. Atreo stopped when she felt the horse glare at her. Deciding that maybe she should keep her mouth close she slowly crab-walked her way towards the horse who probably thought she looked stupid.

At this point Atreo's brain was blank, and she was just a walking empty shell. Atreo's eyes went wide as she saw another horse right next to it, though this one seemed that they didn't care that she was there. The horse that glared at her let out an impatient whine. Atreo couldn't help but roll her eyes at the animal who seemed just as irritated.

Atreo looked at the carriage and wanted to scream. _'WHAT THE FUCK?! IS IT CARRYING A DEAD BODY?!'_ Her now working brain shouted as it barely processed what she just saw. Then a thought just occurred to her that made her blood turn cold. _'Where's the person? Surely there is a person that controls the horses. And a carriage? That's so old-timey, so how the fuck did the person manage to find or get one?'_

After her brain caught up to everything, Atreo booked it back into the bushes and kept running into the dense forest. Hearing the horses whine and neigh accompanied by the sounds of stomping hooves, gave her the clue that whoever was in charge of the carriage, came back, saw her flee at the last minute, probably knowing she saw the coffin in the carriage.

Atreo should've paid attention to her surroundings more as she tripped on a stump that had a log next to it. "THIS IS NOT HOW I WANTED TO GO OUT!" Atreo screamed out as she felt the gravity change. Atreo's head painfully thudded against the log. Hearing ringing made Atreo wince as she lay there on the dirt, grass patches, and withered leaves.

Seeing black dots enter her vision, Atreo tried to get up but the dizziness got to her. The hooves were advancing on her. Feeling tears of frustration build up, Atreo let out a pitiful sob and curled up into a ball as she accepted the darkness that took over her mind.

* * *

Darkness. It was everywhere. Atreo couldn't even tell if her eyes were closed or if it was just that dark. Then a dim light appeared, along with a mirror. Then a voice could be heard. A voice that she wasn't familiar with at all. 

**_"Ah... my dear beloved."_ **

At this Atreo looked at the mirror, noticing several things that made her blood turn to ice. Coffins. _Floating coffins. And they were everywhere._ Atreo wanted to run but it was as if her body wouldn't let her. She mentally freaked out and her eyes went wide when she noticed her body unwillingly took a step forward towards the mirror which now had green flames erupt inside it.

**_"A lovely and noble flower of evil."_ **

Watching the green flames dance made her stomach churn as she began to profusely sweat from the anxiety. "L - let's not go to flaming mirror right?" Atreo talked as if talking was going to make her body listen to her. Two steps were taken forward. 

**_"Truly you are the most beautiful of all."_ **

"Okay unfair," Atreo mumbled as she felt her cheeks warm up despite her entire body shaking with fear. Being told that made her want to hide behind something as she wasn't used to being told that. Two more steps were taken forward and it truly hit Atreo just how serious this was. 

**_"Mirror Mirror, on the wall..._ **

**_Who is the... "_ **

Atreo's mind automatically filled in the last line. "... fairest of them all?" She mumbled out as her feet took another two-step towards the mirror and stopped. Then she heard it. The sounds of the hooves and the creaking of what seems like wheels. Atreo furrowed her brows in confusion and wanted to look back but her neck wouldn't let her. Her body wouldn't let her. The voice continued.

**_"Those who are guided by the dark mirror..._ **

**_As long as your heart desires,_ **

**_Take the hand that appears in the mirror."_ **

As on cue, the mirror went pitch black and a hand slowly but surely came out of it. Atreo looked at it with dread but then her mind went wild. Maybe she died. Maybe whoever was in charge of that carriage killed her and this was the afterlife. Her eyes would flicker around in unease. 

The light that shone around the floating coffins was going dim, then it was pitch black. The only light Atreo sees now was a beam that was showering itself on the mirror with the outstretched hand. Atreo lifted her arm and hovered her hand over the hand that was from the mirror. 

Hesitation was trembling all over her hand. Then Atreo placed her hand on top, gripping it tightly as the hand did the same to her. Atreo mumbled an apology. "S - sorry for my hand sweat... " The hand shook in what seemed like laughter but, Atreo wasn't too sure since she was freaking out from the sudden darkness that swept over her mind once again. 

* * *

Atreo woke up, or at least she thought she did. A voice came through once again though Atreo wasn't sure if it was the same one from before or if it was a different person this time.

**_"For me. For them. For you._ **

**_We are all running out of time._ **

**_No matter what, never let go of my hand."_ **

It must be the same person then if they're referring to the hand she had grabbed. She tried to open her mouth but couldn't for some reason. Atreo couldn't move a limb even if she tried to. Eventually relaxing, she fell back into a deep slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heres a little ref to MC!!
> 
> https://starstruck-shu.tumblr.com/post/635791518242947072/just-a-little-quick-ref-for-the-oc-mc-for-my-fic


	2. Chapter 1: A Stranger's Awakening

Atreo startled awake, hands immediately going to the sides of whatever she was confined in to stabilize herself. Atreo's heart froze for a second before putting her hands everywhere to get a feel of what she was in. Atreo felt like puking. She was in a coffin. _'Damn, I guess I did kick the bucket,'_ was the first thought that came to her head.

Then the noises started. It sounded as if someone was trying to open a locked door but couldn't. Dread filled her and so did adrenaline. Atreo was presumed dead and whoever is trying to pry her door open, was honestly pissing her off. Damn, already deceased and there were still people trying to bother her.

Deciding that her sarcastic side came out, Atreo mumbled quietly to herself, "Oh, is it morning? Damn. 'Guess hell does have a sun despite being underground or whatever it located." Then Atreo widened her eyes at a voice. A new, different voice. 

"Crap! People are coming! Gotta get a uniform while... " Whoever it was decided to mumble for a bit then it was followed by a grunt. Confusion and anxiety grasped Atreo as her eyes looked around, looking for an opening, or just something. She didn't want to think she was going crazy! Ah, she saw a bit of a light creak into the coffin through little openings.

"Grr! The lid is too heavy! Time for my... secret move!" A grunt then a 'there!' Panic engulfed Atreo as soon as she saw blue flames dance around in front of where the light would come in through. "F - FIRE?!" Atreo screeched before kicking down the coffin door. Oh hell no! She doesn't want whatever she has left to burn into a crisp!

As soon as her foot went through, she wanted to cry. Oh my god, she was still alive! ALIVE! She wasn't dead! However, what she saw next made her stop in her tracks and her short-lived celebration was destroyed. 

This room looked _very_ familiar and there was this cat, demon thing that was there muttering to themself before noticing she was there. "GYAH! Why are you up?!" Atreo blinked once, twice before screeching and pointing at the cat demon thing with horror, her pointer finger shaking. "A - A talking raccoon?!"

That set the cat demon thing off. "Just who are you calling a raccoon?! I am the Great Grim!" Atreo flinched and took a step back. "Well whatever, hey human!" At this Atreo pretended to act dumb. She looked around, before pointing at herself. "Me?" Oh, the audacity she has.

Grim, who Atreo concluded was a male, huffed angrily. "Who else would I be talking to? You're the only one awake!" It... Grim, had a good point. At that, Atreo looked around and to her surprise, Grim was right. So far it looks like she was the only one awake, despite several coffins floating about. Huh. Maybe she was in hell after all.

Atreo looked back to the cat who started to ramble about something. Oh, he noticed her staring. "Hurry up and gimme those clothes!" Clothes? Atreo found herself looking at a very elegant robe that practically consumed her body. Patting herself down, she sighed with relief. Pants, thank god. Feeling that there was a hood, she lifted it up and over her head, covering the majority of her face.

Guess Grim thought she was weird because he gave Atreo a quizzical look at her but Atreo ignored it. "Anyways, gimme those! If not then I'll roast ya!" At that Grim grinned wickedly towards her direction, lighting up fires in little specific areas, showing her that he meant business. 

Atreo stiffened up, eyes trying not to dart around and make it obvious what she was planning. As the hysterics were starting to get to her, Atreo couldn't help but bellow a sarcastic laugh. "Dreaming about getting roasted by a raccoon is a new one!" At that, Atreo kicked it into high gear and ran out of the room.

She couldn't help but laugh again, this time a bit more genuine as she heard Grim yell out 'I said I'm not a freaking raccoon!' Her sudden bursts of adrenaline lead her into another room where there were cloaked figures. Atreo stopped and proceeded to freak out more. _'Oh my god, is this a cults meeting?!'_

As if the gods truly wanted her to pass away from a fast-beating heart, they all simultaneously turned around to look at her. Atreo let out a tiny wheeze at the sight before using her adrenaline to boost herself. Like hell, she was gonna stay at this cults' meeting any longer.

Atreo sprinted, bumping shoulders into a small figure (well small considering her height), and apologized frantically as she threw the double doors open. Looking both ways, she went to the left of the hallway with portraits and paintings, passing classrooms that were opened for some reason. Ah, there she goes again paying attention to tiny details that didn't matter!

Pumping her legs to go faster, she could hear Grim cackling wildly behind her while shooting balls of fire at her. He was just toying with her! Atreo could feel the anger build up as she pushed herself to jump off the balcony she was on. Landing a bit wrongly she stumbled but regained her footing.

Dashing through what seems like a courtyard, she couldn't help but admire everything she's seen so far. Atreo let her eyes wander a bit, seeing a well and bench by a tree with apples. As much as she wanted to check if they were real apples, she could _feel_ Grim gaining upon her. 

Atreo rushed across the courtyard and into a room with floating books. Closing the door shut, she quickly went to a nearby shelf and crouched by it. Chuckling and out of breath, she spoke to herself, her hands shaking. Adrenaline completely wore off at this point. 

"If this is some sort of fucked up dream, I wanna wake up." She croaked out. Atreo heard the door open up due to flames barging in. She jumped, not expecting blue flames to open the doors roughly, making the doors hit the walls with a bang.

"Did you really think you'd get away elsewhere? I can smell you miles away, dumb human!" Atreo couldn't help but make an ugly face at the voice. Damn this cat was persistent as fuck. She never met a cat who was this determined to chase after her, even with food on her.

"If you don't wanna get roasted then you better hand over tho- GEHK!" A sound was heard followed by Grim choking a bit. Atreo took a peek by the bookshelf she was by and saw a man with a _whip?_ Oh, she should've expected this but it still surprised her. 

_'That guy must be into BDSM or something,'_ Atreo sweatdropped as Grim started to shout. "OW! What's with this rope?!" Apparently, that wasn't quite the right words to say to the man with what seemed like a plague doctor masquerade mask. If anything the man seemed to just tug harder in response.

"This is no mere rope! It's the lash of love!" Oh no... This guy was either super bonkers or super into BDSM. Atreo glanced away for a bit to recollect her thoughts, then glanced back at him wearily before a scream crawled up her throat. The scream didn't escape, of course, rather a choking noise did.

The tall man was now hovering over her crouched form, yellow orbs staring directly into her eyes. "Ah! Found you at last! Are you one of the new students?" He questioned her. Atreo opened her mouth to answer but didn't even get the chance to as the mysterious man continued. 

"You shouldn't do things like that! Running off and leaving the gate on your own!" He scolded her. Atreo shivered at the orbs that were in the mask, especially when the orbs narrowed themselves at her. Atreo tried to explain herself once again but it was as if the man didn't care whether she spoke or not. 

"Not only that but you have yet to tame your familiar which has broken several rules!" Atreo let out a shaky sigh, accepting the fact that no matter what she wasn't going to be able to get a peep of words to this man. All she did was stare while nodding along to his words. Might as well pretend that she was listening for a bit.

"Let me go! I'm not their freakin' familiar!" Grim struggled against 'the lash of love.' The tall man sighed. "Sure, sure. The rebellious ones always say things like that. Quiet down for a moment." The man instructed Grim and placed... something over Grim's mouth. Muffled noises came from Grim as he struggled even more.

"My goodness. It's unprecedented for a new student to leave the gate on their own. Ugh. How impatient can you be?" The man directed his gaze towards Atreo who had relaxed a bit but tensed up seeing his stare on her. "The entrance ceremony is already well underway. Let's head to the Hall of Mirrors."

Atreo blinked and her face blank of emotions. "... New student? Gate?" She couldn't help but mumble out as she stood up to follow the man. The man gave a confused glance to her before walking out the room, clearly expecting her to follow him. Atreo stumbled to her feet and chased after him. 

Both Atreo and the man were walking, though the tall man had more of a leg distance despite Atreo being a semi-tall woman herself. She struggled on matching his pace a bit. The man decided it would be a good time to tell her everything. 

"The gate is the room you woke up in with all of the doors." Doors? The only doors she saw were the ones Grim blew open and the ones she passed through running away from the cult's meeting. The man went on. 

"All students who wish to attend this academy must pass through one of those doors to arrive here." Oh, so this was an academy huh? Then the room she hid was the library. Makes much more sense now. At the new information, Atreo slouched in relief.

"Normally, students wake up only after the door is opened with a special key but..." The man trailed off, flickering his orbs to her. Atreo looked away sheepishly as she lowly whistled innocently, and Grim who heard everything started to go still at the fact. Technically both were at fault but neither was gonna admit it straight to the guy's face.

"So then those coffins... were actually doors huh? Guess the fire must've blown the lid off." The man nodded to the first question then stopped and looked at Grim. "I see. So the familiar was the culprit." Grim who knew everything was going on, just flinched and trembled at the sight. Atreo felt bad that she threw him under the bus but at this point, it's every man for themselves.

The man looked at Atreo. "If you're going to bring your familiar with you, you have to take responsibility and properly take care of it." Atreo furrowed her brows in irritation but didn't say anything. She had a feeling that trying to argue with this man was futile.

She saw the man put a hand into a pocket, and brought out a pocket watch from it. "Oh my! Now isn't the time to be long-winded. The entrance ceremony will soon come to a close. Let's get a move on." He said before speed walking and Atreo felt her soul leave her body.

Catching up to his stride, Atreo huffed out, catching her breath. "J - just a second sir! Where am I and who are you?" Atreo said, gasping for air as both the man and she stopped, the courtyard in full view. "What's this? Are you still dazed? Hmm, it appears the teleportation magic has left you disoriented... Well, it's fine. It happens often." Often?! At this Atreo couldn't help but open her mouth in slight shock at the man's words. 

The man appeared to be thinking before deciding on something. "Very well. I shall give you an explanation on the way there. For I am gracious." Atreo sighed in tiredness. She had a feeling this guy must say that phrase a lot. 

The man coughed whether to reassure himself or to catch her attention she wasn't too sure but she looked at him attentively. They both made their way across the courtyard which is... bigger than she remembered. Then again she was running for her life so it wasn't like she immediately noticed how large the area was.

"This is 'Night Raven College.' Those magicians blessed with a unique aptitude for magic gather from all over the world, here at the most prestigious magical academy in Twisted Wonderland." The man preached, "And I am the principal, appointed to take care of this academy by the board chairman, Dire Crowley."

Finally a name. Atreo was practically thanking whatever that helping her survive this. Though hearing his explanation made her nervous. A night college full of magicians? Doesn't sound quite right but who was she to judge the people who are late-night owls?

"Ma... magicians?" Atreo uttered out, perplexed. Crowley nodded and proceeded, "Only those magicians seen as worthy by the Dark Mirror, can attend this school. Chosen ones use the gate and are summoned here from around the world." 

Atreo wanted to break down. She was starting to feel tired and irritated from all the adrenaline she had earlier. Magician?! The last time she knew, she wasn't one and even if she was, she couldn't even do the party card trick right!

Crowley either didn't see her inner turmoil or decided to ignore it in favor of his still ongoing explanation. "An ebony carriage carrying a Gate should have gone to meet you as well." Atreo mentally screamed. How could she forget the carriage?! It honestly slipped from her mind. 

"I think I remember a horse with a terrifying face... " Atreo trialed off, eyebrows twitching in annoyance. Oh, she remembers the face alright. No animal should have such a face nor such glowing eyes but it wasn't her place to say. Not when Crowley was obviously puffing his chest out in pride at her words.

"The ebony carriage goes to welcome new students chosen by the Dark Mirror. They are special carriages that carry the doors to the academy." Doors equal coffins. Atreo should write this down or something because she's gonna forget that's what they are. They entered the hall that had portraits and such, passing by the opened classrooms Atreo saw before.

"The market decided long age that carriages are used to welcome people on special days." Market? What market? From where? As much as she wanted to ask that, it wasn't as important as... "Wait! You telling me that the carriages brought me on its own?! I need to know... Were there people who went with the carriages?" An innocent question (or that's what it seemed like).

Crowley coughed into his hand, trying to hide his laughter at the question. Clearing his throat he turned to her. "No, it was just the carriages and horses." Atreo spluttered, shocked at the new given information before shivering violently. Ugh, she felt like puking but held it in.

"Mfph! Mffphffphph!" Grim said. Atreo wanted to laugh, she really did. She wanted to point and just laugh at his misfortune but didn't. It wasn't right even though she had a feeling that if Grim was in her position he would've just pointed and laughed anyway but she wasn't Grim. 

"Come, let's go to the entrance ceremony," Crowley stated as they finally approached the room that Atreo originally fled from. They went in and Atreo noted that the people with the cloaks were no longer there. Crowley and Atreo went to the room where Atreo then saw the cloaked figures gathered around the huge mirror with the floating coffins. 

Atreo gulped nervously at the sight. May whatever is watching her, help her because holy shit, the sight of people in cloaks gathered in one place was going to end her poor little heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC: Ahaha I guess I am dead
> 
> Grim: lol maybe you are
> 
> Mc with the camera zoomed in on her face: Wait, real shit??


	3. Chapter 2: Break the Solemnity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh and if the formatting looks weird, its because I use grammarly and basically copy paste here sdfsd just letting yall know

Today was the entrance ceremony. That itself is an important thing. Crowley had called a meeting for all of the dorm leaders to attend the ceremony since technically, the new students would be joining their dorms.

"Gah!~ I'm so excited to get new members into Scarabia, right Jamil?" Kalim Al-Asim, dorm leader of Scarabia, excitedly blabbered to his vice dorm leader, Jamil Viper. Jamil sighed but just nodded his head in agreement as he helps Kalim fix his ceremonial robes. "I'm sure we'll have plenty, not as much as Heartslabyul however."

Kalim pouted. "Don't be so pessimistic Jamil! Who knows, maybe we'll have more!" Riddle Rosehearts, dorm leader of the mentioned Heartslabyul, intervened. "I highly doubt it," Riddle said as he fixed his ceremonial robe's sleeves. Trey Clover, vice dorm leader of Heartslabyul, chuckled at Riddle's confident answer but didn't say anything. 

"Eh?! That's a lot of doubt y'know?~" Kalim whined a bit even though he was smiling. Riddle huffed, "Don't underestimate Heartslabyul Kalim Al-Asim." Kalim laughed in good-heartedness. "You can just call me Kalim Riddle! I don't mind honestly!" Riddle gave him a doubtful look but didn't say anything else.

"Eh you guys are so noisy, you know that right?" Leona Kingscholar, dorm leader of Savanaclaw, drawled out before yawning. He was splayed on the couch that was in the foyer. Azul Ashengrotto, dorm leader of Octavinelle, chuckled at the sight. "Leona, where's the little hyena that's usually strapped to your back, hmm?" Azul asked innocently.

Leona scoffed and glared at Azul who in return gave an innocent smile. "Eh? Then where's the little parasite bodyguards you have huh?" Leona smirked, showing some teeth and sharp canines. Azul's innocent smile fell for a bit before regaining it. "Doing whatever they please I suppose," was Azul's answer.

A scoff was heard. Both Azul and Leona looked in the direction of it. Vil Scheonheit, dorm leader of Pomefiore (along with as a model and actor), rolled his eyes, before looking at the both of them with a frown. "Quit squabbling, we need to hurry and get to the venue." Azul nodded in agreement while pushing his glasses up while Leona just sighed but got up from the couch nonetheless.

"Eh venue... So many people will be there... " A blue floating tablet spoke out as it hovered about. Idia Shroud, dorm leader of Ignihyde, controlled the tablet that moved around. He shivered at the thought of multiple people in just one room. Yeah, no, he'd rather just stick to the floating tablet. Let the people judge; at least then he wouldn't have to see their faces.

Kalim who heard him nodded in agreement. "I agree but isn't it also pretty exciting?" "No, not really..." Idia spoke into the tablet, trying to think of the pros in that exact situation. The answer? None, there were no pros. Riddle sighed as he looked at his fellow dorm leaders. "Shall we go to the opening ceremony venue then?" At that he got various responses, most agreeing to go.

The bunch walked towards the venue and stopped at the foyer. "We shall wait fifteen minutes for Crowley, and if he doesn't show up then we shall begin the ceremony," Riddle stated. Once again he got some various responses but this time he didn't bother to see if they were positive or not.

At first, there was pure silence but then Kalim started spouting nonsense, and soon the foyer was anything but silence. Riddle sighed although, didn't say anything about it. Somehow, ten minutes went by. Someone had roped Riddle into some conversation and to be quite honest if someone had asked Riddle if he had remembered the conversation a day later he would say 'Yes, but I don't see how it is any of your business.' In actuality, he would only say that to save his image. Truth be told he doesn't remember it but his pride wouldn't allow him to be that honest.

During the conversation, a figure burst through the door and the entire room went hushed. Said figure stopped at the sight of them then sprinted towards the door that was on the other side of the group. The figure bumped into Kalim who just seemed as surprised as the rest of the group and small apologies were heard. The figure left the room as quickly as they appeared.

Riddle couldn't help but be a tad suspicious. Why was the figure in a hurry? Even though he was suspicious he didn't think much about it since it wasn't uncommon for teachers to check up on the venue before the ceremony happened. What chased after the figure was... well maybe it was their familiar. Familiars weren't uncommon either but it was rarer than just a teacher checking up on the venue.

Riddle looked at the others to see if they would've done anything. Riddle huffed out a small chuckle. They saw the figure run, and they shrugged it off, probably thinking the same; that it was a teacher. 

Five minutes went by and Riddle was starting to frown at the time. Riddle opened his mouth to say something when Crowley came in. "Sorry, documents held me up! Now, shall we begin the ceremony?" Various agreements were heard so then Crowley leads the group to the mirror chamber.

The ceremony had begun and they were twenty minutes in when Crowley suddenly left in a hurry without explaining himself. Most of the dorm leaders sighed but weren't surprised he would do something like that. Nonetheless, they continued. Although they would say they weren't gossiping, they did.

"Oh, I bet that one would be a bit of a troublemaker," Vil pointed out a student who stood in front of the Dark Mirror. Leona looked and scoffed. "Nah, looks like a goody-two-shoes to me." Leona inhaled through his nostrils and then exhaled into a yawn. The Dark Mirror announced the student's dormitory. "Savanaclaw." 

At that Vil couldn't help but chuckle at Leona's irritated face. "Guess you aren't too happy with the results?" "That obvious?" Leona said in an obvious mocking tone. Vil rolled his eyes at him. "No need to show your claws." Leona glared at him. "Whatever," Leona grumbled, already wanting the ceremony to end.

A few students were left thankfully. 'Heartslabyul.' 'Ignihyde.' 'Diasomnia.' 'Scarabia.' 'Octavinelle.' 'Pomefiore.' Eventually, the new students go to their respective dormitory. "Is that all for the new student dorm assignments?" Riddle asked the others who either shrugged or nodded.

"Listen up, new students. Here in Heartslabyul, I am the rules. Break them and it's off with your head. Understood?" Riddle said, narrowing his eyes at the new students that were placed in his dormitory. They nodded dumbly or just didn't say anything.

Leona groaned a bit. "Ugh, the stuffy ceremony is finally over. We're going back to the dorm. Savanaclaw, follow me." Leona proceeded to leave the room albeit lazily, showing the new students that he truly didn't care about the whole entire thing.

Azul greeted the new students with a smile. "To the new students, congratulations on entering this academy. Enjoy your life here to its fullest." He finished with a closed eye smile. The new students seem to brighten up a bit at this and some were even a bit envious of the people that were placed in the Octavinelle dormitory. 

Hearing the little commotion on the sidelines, Azul decided to end that little speech with, "As the dormitory leader of Octavinelle, I will support you to the best of my ability." Cheers came from the new Octavinelle members. At that Leona shivered, murmuring to himself about 'Octopunk can be so sketchy it's unreal.'

Vil stopped Leona from completely leaving with a question (which made Leona groan in protest; he just wanted to leave already). "By the way, where did the Dean go? He flew out right in the middle of the ceremony... " Vil furrowed his eyebrows in what seemed like irritation but no one could honestly tell.

"Abandoning his post... " The floating blue tablet spoke out. Kalim looked over, clearly thinking of what could've gone wrong with the headmaster. "Did he get a stomachache or something?" Kalim asked before widening his eyes then opened his mouth, "Do you think he had to sh-" At that Vil quickly covered Kalim's mouth. 

Vil gave Kalim the stink eye and was about to scold him for foul language when said headmaster barged in; "Of course not!" Crowley yelled out. Riddle blinked before saying, "Ah he's here." And that sent Crowley into a ramble. 

"I cannot believe you all! We were missing one new student, so I went to go find them!" Everyones' eyes went straight to the tall (yet short compared right next to Crowley) person who instantly tensed up at the sudden attention on them.

Noticing the last student was uncomfortable, Crowley bend over a bit and whispered to him. "You are the only one yet to be assigned a dormitory. I shall watch over the raccoon. Please step in front of the Dark Mirror." Anyone can see how tense the poor guy was. 

The missing student slowly went up to the Dark Mirror, then looked at the headmaster who made the 'go on' gesture towards them while Grim made more muffled grunting noises in protest. 

* * *

Atreo gulped in nervousness, especially since she can _feel_ everyone stare holes into her robe and maybe into her soul. She glanced back at Crowley who (in a way) encouraged her to go up to the Dark Mirror and end the ceremony. She turned back to the mirror that had a face on it. 

**"State thy name."**

Atreo fiddled with the sleeves of her robe before murmuring her first name. "Atreo... " It was honestly a miracle that the mirror heard it. She was impressed at first but that quickly went downhill. 

**"The shape of thy soul is..."**

Atreo felt like rocks hitting the bottom of her stomach; cold and rough as she saw the mirror's face change from blank, to surprise then squinting at her as if she was an anomaly in the space continuum. After the facial changes, the mirror went silent before widening his lips to speak.

**"I do not know."**

Silence then Crowley spoke. "Come again?" The mirror pursed their lips before speaking once again. 

**"I sense not a spark of magic from this one...**

**The color, the shape, all are nothing. Therefore, they are suited for no dormitory."**

Atreo couldn't help but wince at the cold harsh tone the face provided in their tone. The mirror was now looking at her like she was a cockroach no one could kill. To make matters worse everyone started to murmur and gossip about the magicless student that didn't fit into any dormitory. Atreo clenched the sleeve fabric in anxiousness.

Crowley put his forefinger and thumb together, placing his hand on his chin as he began to think. Crowley then went up to the mirror and the now apparent magicless student. "An Ebony Carriage would absolutely never go to meet someone who can't use magic! In 100 years, there has not once been a mistake in student selection." Crowley whispered to himself feverishly.

Atreo pursed her lips in thought. 'Being magicless is a huge deal huh?' Crowley pushed himself into her bubble, still whispering to himself. Atreo sweated as her hands trembled, eyes looking away as she tried not to make eye contact with the headmaster.

"So why in the world..." Crowley trailed off before feeling a tug on the lash of love. Both Crowley and Atreo glanced in the direction of Grim who had finally freed himself from the whip. Grim also tugged away at whatever Crowley plastered over his mouth. "Mghmgh... Pah!" 

Atreo wouldn't ever admit to anyone but before Grim wreaked havoc everywhere, he looked adorable, eyes shining. She internally cooed but of course Grim just had to open his mouth and ruined everything. "Then I'll take their place!" Grim grinned. 

Crowley, probably surprised at how Grim was able to get out, yelled at Grim. "Stay right there raccoon!" Grim swiftly dodged the lash of love and pointed at Atreo. "Unlike that **dumb** human, I can use magic! If ya don't believe me then I can show ya the proof!" With a wicked gleam to his blue eyes, Grim sneered. 

Atreo didn't know what exactly happened, but it occurred so quickly. The guy who had red hair shouted for everyone to get down. Atreo froze, not sure what to do exactly. When the red-haired boy said to get down, what did he mean? Like squat down or lay down to the floor? She internally panicked and thankfully someone decided for her.

Some random person saw Atreo just standing there and quickly tackled her to the ground. Atreo grunted in pain as her back hit the cold floor and her head spinning. Grim then set the venue ablaze with flames. People were either screaming for their life or annoyed that they were delayed by a cat.

When Atreo was able to regain her senses, she looked at a blonde man who seemed to smile apologetically down at her. "Bonjour and apologies monsieur, I didn't think you would hit the ground that hard." His bangs were cut and his hair flowed out from the hood that did poorly to obscure his face from her. 

Atreo's eyes widen at the sight and immediately felt uncomfortable. Not only was he in her personal bubble but he just looked gorgeous and Atreo wasn't used to pretty people! The blonde with green eyes stared into hers and opened his mouth to say something when someone else caught both of their attention. 

"AAAAH! HOT HOT HOT! MY BUTT'S ON FIRE!" Seeing a person in peril Atreo gently (well, it was not so gently; the blonde had practically pinned her to the ground), shoved the blonde man off and quickly went to the guy whose gluteus maximus was on fire. 

Not knowing what to do exactly, Atreo tried to put the fire out with her sleeves. Yes, that's right, her sleeves. What would you do in her terrifying situation? As she was trying to help the short male, Atreo could overhear conversations happening and was just dumbfounded. No one was doing anything!

* * *

"At this rate, the school will be a sea of fire till it's just ashes! Somebody, catch that raccoon!" Crowley yelled out. The new students were very hesitant though and seeing the sight of the new students trying to get the headmaster's favor, Leona clicked his tongue. "Che, suck-ups."

Vil who overhead Leona cut in, "Hmm? Aren't you good at hunting? Doesn't it look like a nice, plump snack?" Vil said with a smirk. He knew it would irritate Leona and he was right. Leona gave Vil a nasty glare, retorting with an original. "Why me? Do it yourself." Leona scoffed as he crossed his arms. 

Azul, who also overhead conversation along with Crowley's command, intervened. "Mr. Crowley sir, please leave the problematic raccoon to me. I'm sure the others couldn't stomach harassing the poor creature, so I will take it upon myself." Azul gave the headmaster a closed eye smile, the same one he did earlier. 

"That Azul for you, always trying to earn himself points," The blue tablet floated around somehow dodging the blue flames. That or maybe it was just fire-proof but others somehow doubt that it was the case. 

* * *

Atreo tried to focus on the small male's burning butt and one could tell she wasn't as focused. That and it seemed like trying to put out the flames with her flimsy sleeves just seem to make the fire grow bigger. The short male seemed to notice that it got bigger but not the person who was trying to help him out.

"Could somebody _please_ put out my butt fire already!?" Atreo jolted at the male's obvious pleading tone and decided that the male wouldn't seem to care at all whatever method she had to use. Not really thinking straight and in the heat of the moment, she grabbed the fabric of her sleeves, bunching it up. She then proceeded to basically, pat his butt down with the bunched up sleeves.

Atreo was extremely shocked and amazed it was actually working. Of course, her sleeves got scorched but it was to be expected after all. The short male with white hair seems to notice that the fire on his butt was no longer there. He turned around to thank whoever put it out for him. Atreo was in for a bit of a surprise.

* * *

To his surprise, it was the magicless student. Kalim blinked for a moment before a huge wide genuine smile came over his face. "Thank you so much!" Kalim thanked him. Kalim was a bit of an affectionate person so it wasn't weird for him to hug someone out of gratitude.

He felt the magicless student tense up but they didn't exactly push him away. Well until he felt that their body that is. When Kalim hugged them, he felt what could be described as lumps on their chest. Kalim wasn't dumb as people think he was. Sure he was oblivious and dumb when it came to certain things such as studies, but he had plenty of siblings.

Though due to his oblivious and naive way of thinking, he brushed off his suspicions since Night Raven College was an all-boys school. There were some chubby boys he's hugged before so it wasn't all that foreign to him to feel lumps against his form. 

Almost as if the magicless student could read his mind, he was suddenly pushed away. Of course, they apologized to him and explained to him that they were uncomfortable with him hugging them. Before Kalim could apologize for his actions, everyone started cheering for Riddle and Azul who seem to chase after the cat casting what seemed like spells.

* * *

"Are you all even listening!?" Crowley yelled out noticing that the majority of the students were tuning him out. Leona especially who in return retorted back with a good question, "If it's just catching some stupid raccoon, can't you do it yourself, teach?" At that there some students who agreed with Leona, shouting things like 'yeah! he's right' and 'headmaster please!'

Grim noticing the uproar and frowned at the demeaning insult. "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not a raccoon!" Grim screeched out, "The Great Grim, that will become the greatest magician, is me!"

Scoffing at the proclamation, Azul turned to Riddle. "Well, it certainly has moxie. Care to help me, Riddle?" Azul asked, with an ever-growing smirk and offered his hand out by his chest, gesturing at Grim. Riddle frowned and made up his mind about the situation. "I can't overlook those who break the rules. Let's hurry and get it shall we?" Riddle said as he took a step forward towards Grim who now was glancing back at forth between Riddle and Azul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kalim: You're a woman arent you??
> 
> MC trying to do their best male impression: ... No.
> 
> Kalim: Oh shoot sorry my guy, thought you were a female (proceeds to laugh it off)
> 
> MC practically sweating buckets: N - no problemo


	4. Chapter 3: Cruel Answer

Soon Riddle and Azul managed to corner Grim. Riddle pointed his magic pen at Grim then said the words, "『OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!』" Grim made a noise that sounded as if a choke and a grunt had a baby. "NYGEHK!" Everyone could see that Grim suddenly had a heart-shaped collar with a lock.

Grim, stupefied at what was around his neck, exclaimed loudly. "What the heck is this?!" Riddle ignored him and explained one of the Heartslabyul rules. "Laws of the Queen of Hearts Number 23: 'One shall never bring a cat into a festival.'" Riddle stated as he pointed his magic pen in the direction of Grim.

"You being a cat means you've broken the rule. I shall have you leave at once." Riddle commanded as he stepped forward towards Grim who freaked out at the advance yet was outraged when Riddle called him a cat. "I'm not a cat!" Grim growled out.

Grim then tugged at the collar, feeling annoyed by it. "I'll burn this collar right up a - and... " Grim trailed off when he realized that none of his flames were appearing then completely flipped out. "E - eh? I can't use my fire!" Grim shrieked.

"Hmph," Riddle grinned, feeling a bit smug at how Grim was acting, "You won't be using any magic until I remove the collar. Just like an ordinary cat." Atreo had to give it to Grim; Grim went from freaking out to pissed in mere seconds and all because he was called a cat. 

"W - what?! I'm not some pet!" Grim wailed with pulsating anger. Riddle probably not expecting the cat to talk back, frowned, annoyance making its way clear on his face before he replied calmly to Grim. "Oh, don't worry, I'd never keep a pet like you. I'll take it off anyway when you get thrown out." Riddle gestured to the collar Grim was supporting.

"Wow, as wonderful as ever. Any and all magic gets sealed by your Unique Magic, Riddle." Azul's sky-blue eyes darkened at the thought of having such a powerful unique magic in his grasp. "I want it... No, I wouldn't ever want _that_ cast on me." Azul quickly changed his tune when he remembered the rumors on how it felt having that collar around their neck.

Crowley, who gave a sigh of relief, turned his body towards the magicless student. Atreo froze at the harsh cold glare Crowley gave her. Kalim who was next to her chuckled nervously and quickly sidestepped away and was now standing next to Leona. Crowley marched his way up to Atreo.

"You must do something about this! This is _your_ familiar! Properly discip-" Atreo snapped. "HE ISN'T MY FUCKIN' FAMILIAR! Never even seen him till he blew off the lid to my gate!" Oh boy, she almost said coffin. Crowley stood there, shock evident on his frame. Most of the dorm leaders looked at her, bewildered that she yelled at the headmaster.

"Eh? It's not yours?" Atreo couldn't believe this man but whatever, she honestly felt too tired for this shit. She nodded. "I tried to tell you but you wouldn't let me speak about it." Atreo heard a 'typical headmaster' from the crowd and ignored it. Seems like Crowley ignored it as well and continued the conversation.

"Y - you did?" Atreo nodded her head again. "I did." She replied. Almost as fast as Sonic can run, Crowley coughed into his fist. "A - anyways, let's get it out of this school yes?" Crowley then turned his head towards Grim, "We won't turn you into a stew, for I am gracious. Now, somebody please get rid of it." 

A few random students came and grabbed ahold of Grim who thrashed around. "Geh! Let me go!" Grim squawked as his little legs kicked around, his arms in the grasps of hands. "I'm going to, going to..." Grim trailed off when he noticed the people that grabbed him get closer to the double doors. "Become the greatest magician!" Grim howled.

The door opened with a creak and closed with a bang. Silence. Atreo broke the silence. "... I kinda feel bad for him." Heads whipped to her and she regretted ever saying anything. Thankfully Crowley saved her butt. 

"We had a bit of trouble along the way but this brings the entrance ceremony to a close." Crowley looked at all the dorm leaders. "Dormitory Heads, please show the new students back to the dormitories." Doing a secret headcount he noticed that one of the dorm leaders wasn't here.

"Hm? Now that I think about it, I don't see the leader for Diasomnia, Mr. Draconia, around at all... " Crowley trailed off as he tried to remember what the leader of Diasomnia was doing previously before the ceremony gathering. Leona scoffed, "That's no different from usual, is it?" 

* * *

Atreo saw the guy with lion ears retort back to Crowley. Atreo pursed her lips as the realization hit her. She doesn't know anybody's name except for Crowley, and Grim who was no longer in the room. Tired from the events earlier today, she just wanted to find an empty bed and fall asleep in it.

Suppressing a yawn, she saw the guy she saved perk up. "Eh, what? Did nobody tell him about the ceremony?" The blonde guy with purple at the ends of his hair spoke up. "If you're going to complain, you should've done it yourself." The small male with white hair pouted, "Hmm. But I don't really know anything about that guy." He whined.

Atreo began to zone out for a bit but then heard gossiping students. "By Draconia... Do they mean _that_ Malleus Draconia?" "Is he seriously attending this school?" "S - scary..." Whoever this Malleus guy is ether like a school bully or someone who isn't very good at being social. Atreo honestly felt bad for the guy, especially when said guy wasn't even here to begin with.

Suddenly Atreo's eyes looked off to the side and saw a short male. One way to describe him was that he looked a bit similar to Ibuki Mioda from that Danganronpa game. The male Ibuki stepped forward, sighing. "So I was correct. I thought he might come but Malleus really didn't."

The male Ibuki glanced at the others. "It seems the invitation 'never arrived' again." Atreo honestly was bewildered at the short male's voice. She honestly wasn't expecting a semi-deep voice, but rather maybe a high pitch one considering his figure. 

Replaying his words in her head, she furrowed her brows. Again? Then it hit her and she suddenly felt shitty for thinking that this Malleus guy was a bad dude. Was he really not invited to events like this? Someone confirmed it for her.

The guy in glasses replied, tone insincere, "My deepest apologies. I promise we didn't intend to exclude you or him." Oh no, he really wasn't. Then the guy with red hair spoke up, "His aura makes it hard to approach him." Atreo didn't want to start shit but at this point, she might. It's a stupid excuse to use when you can't invite someone just because they're intimidating. 

Almost as if the new guy knew that Atreo was bubbling up anger, he spoke once again. "It's fine. Members of the Diasomnia Dormitory can come with me. I hope this doesn't upset him." He said before leading out a group and soon the all of the students were gone from the mirror chamber. Crowley and Atreo stayed behind.

Atreo gulped as Crowley turned his head to look at her. Right now his mask was very fitting as she felt like she was a worm; that he was a bird that was about to eat her and sacrifice her to his nonexistent bird babies. 

"Then, Atreo, I'm terribly sorry about this but... We must have you leave the school." At those words Atreo straightens up, a little hurt by someone that helped her, was now telling her to leave. As much as it hurt, he was right. She didn't belong here. 

It was like Crowley was in her head because his next words were the reason why she felt she didn't belong here, "Those without any talent for magic cannot be allowed to attend class here." Damn, the truth stings. Couldn't he be nicer about his words? He was making her feel like she was a loser and a loser who doesn't even have at least, one friend.

"There is no need to worry. The Dark Mirror will send you directly back from where you came from." Atreo smiled, tears of relief coming out of her tear ducts and sliding down her cheeks. Crowley, obviously not expecting her to cry, immediately asked if she was okay.

"Yeah," Atreo croaked out, throat feeling raw from just emotions in general. "Ever since meeting the carriage, it's just been a flurry of emotions and adrenaline. I'm just really happy that it's over." Famous last words.

Crowley didn't say anything, he just continued what he was saying before. "Enter the Gate, and picture your home clearly in your mind." He instructed. Atreo nodded, happiness and serotonin shooting through her brain. She went up to the dark mirror, which now lived up to its name as the mirror was pitch black.

"This was a long dream," Atreo gave out a throaty laugh, a tired one too. Atreo then closed her eyes and imagined her house. She imagined her step-father, mother, twin brother, younger brother, and younger sister. She imagined that they were celebrating over sports games, or celebrating that her little brother got honors roll in a class.

Atreo sniffled as it punched her in the face; she wasn't gone for that long but damn, she misses her family. She could only imagine their horror when she never came home from her job. Knowing them, they probably already have a case open with her name on it.

Crowley then spoke, noting how hard Atreo was concentrating. "Oh, Dark Mirror! Guide this one back to the place they belong to!" Nothing. Well, there was something and it was just the face showing up in the mirror like it previously has.

Crowley coughed out of awkwardness, seeing Atreo confused when she was broken out of her concentrating. "Once more. Oh, Dark Mirror! Guide this-" The Dark Mirror was quick to cut of Crowley with a response that filled Atreo with undesired dread with a hint of frustration. 

**"It is nowhere."**

Crowley paused as if he believed the Dark Mirror was pranking him. "Eh?" Was the only verbal response Crowley could say. It wasn't like the Dark Mirror to use such trickery, especially on the headmaster himself.

**"The place they belong to is nowhere in this world. It does not exist."**

Atreo's tears suddenly went from happy feeling, to downright cold, and dreadful. Atreo's lips trembled and let out a sob, this one sounding more heart-breaking. Crowley stood there since he didn't really know what to do or say in this situation other than to confront the mirror about it.

**"Do not fret young child,"** The mirror spoke, **"It will be alright soon."**

Sniffling, Atreo nodded her head like a child would after they got scolded. She also used her hands to rub at her eyes and cheeks to get the trails off. "Thanks," Atreo whispered. Crowley had to give it to the mirror; the mirror was better at comforting people than Crowley ever was.

Clearing his throat once again, Crowley continued, "What did you say? That is unbelievable! Hmm, well, the unbelievable has been on parade today." Crowley whispered that last bit to himself but it seems as if the mirror heard him and gave Crowley a surprised look but quickly returned to its normal blank slate look.

"This is the first time it's ever happened since I became Headmaster, what should be... " Crowley trailed off, before steeling himself stripped off of empathy and glared at the poor female (which he had yet to know she was female). "Where exactly did you come from?" He interrogated her.

Atreo hesitated before answering truthfully, noticing that the mirror gave a nasty glare to Crowley for acting so harsh to the poor girl who had been crying moments before. "The truth is... I came from America, so everything here, is, foreign to me. I don't think America has floating books unless Harry Potter counts but I never read it so... " Atreo whispered the last part to herself, a bit ashamed that she never read the books.

Crowley hummed in thought. "I've never heard that place. I have a general grasp of where all the students came from but I've never even heard that name before." Crowley looked at Atreo and made the motion to come along with him. "Let's go to the library for research. Atreo gave one last sniffle before nodding as they both headed for the library.

* * *

"Big brother!" Ortho, the sibling of Idia Shroud, greeted his older brother as he ran into the room. Idia who had just finished a round of his game turned to look at him. "Oh hey Ortho," Idia replied gently before turning his head back to the single-player game.

Ortho, despite having no mouth to show, visibly brightened up and went to where Idia was sitting on his bed. "How was the ceremony?" Ortho asked as he sat on the bed, watching his brother pretty much slaughter the enemies in the game.

Idia had finished another round and was about to begin a new one but paused as he thought over Ortho's question. Although Idia never showed his face on the tablet, Idia made it have a camera that was able to capture videos and pictures.

Idia also had it where it can stream live, capturing any events and such. Idia shuffled around on the bed, picking his legs up into a criss-cross as he hummed. Then he unpaused the game and played, speaking up.

"It was... entertaining at the least. There was a magicless student who didn't go in any dormitory." Idia remembers the semi-tall male who stood in the mirror and was judged harshly in front of a live audience. He shivered, the thought of being judged that bad. 

"He... was judged a lot for it." Ortho blinked at his brother's response. "Oh, must've been scary!" Ortho exclaimed while Idia nodded in agreement, taking out the final wave's boss with a wicked grin on his face. 

"GG," Idia muttered to himself before logging out of the game to insert a new one in the console. Maybe a few more rounds on the console, he'll switch to the pc and play some MMORPG games on it. Ortho watched as his brother got the disc out and inserted a different one in.

Ortho was a curious boy and a boy who wanted his brother to have some friends, aside Azul from Octavinelle. "Hey brother!" Ortho beamed, "You think you could be friends with the magicless student? I mean they won't be able to bring you harm so it should be fine right?" Ortho basically interrogated his brother.

Idia flinched at the word 'friends', fumbling with the controller in his hands. "Eh? Do I really _need_ friends? I mean games keep me more occupied, a - and I have log in bonuses plus log in events, I don't think I could be friends with anyone. W - what if they judge me because I play games that no one really plays? Ah, normies wouldn't get it." Idia rambled as he glared at the TV in front of him.

"Besides, this is a school where you live because of magic. Having none... you're practically like a level 1 character while everyone is either a level 15 or a level 30." Idia murmured, focusing on the game. Ortho hummed watching his brother. "More than likely he'll get kicked out by the headmaster. Or by someone, I don't know and... quite frankly I don't care." Idia muttered, the click-clacking of the sticks of the controller fills the room.

Ortho didn't say anything but sat there thinking, how nice it would be to see his brother happy with a friend that wasn't necessarily Azul. Ortho looked at his brother in the corner of his eyes. Rather, Ortho changed the topic as quickly as he could. "Oh look, brother! That seems to be a really hard boss to beat!"

Seeing Idia change from a frown to a grin at the sight of the higher level character. Ortho decided right there and then that he'll try to get his brother out and about and to make some friends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC: !! I CAN FINALLY GO HOME??
> 
> The Mirror: Sike, you ain't lmao
> 
> MC: (cries)


	5. Chapter 4: Confusing Amnesia

Soon Atreo and Crowley found themselves in the library. Sitting on the table that was covered by books that Crowley found that were either maps, about their history, or books that might've talked about otherworldly things. Nothing, there was nothing and it seems like Crowley had to agree with his next words.

"There isn't anything," Crowley mumbled, his actions practically screaming curiosity yet annoyance for the books told him that wherever Atreo's home country, and town, weren't here or even existed. "Not only the world map but the name of your home isn't written in any history." 

Frustrated that he might not be able to send the student back at all, he looked at Atreo. "Are you truly from where you say? You aren't lying to me by chance?" Atreo couldn't help but feel offended for a bit. _'This fucking guy!'_ Atreo internally swore at him.

Tired, frustrated, and sad, Atreo snapped once again but this time with a laugh, a drained yet sarcastic laugh. She probably looks like a crazy woman, she doesn't doubt it. She feels a bit crazy right now due to the headmaster doubting her words.

"Please, why would I lie about my _home_? The home where I grew up with my siblings and parents? Do you really think I would lie _about that_?" Just speaking about her family moved Atreo to tears, her fingernails digging into the side of the polished wooden table. "Please, do give me a reason why you would think that."

Crowley stayed silent, not sure how to answer that. "So you don't have one then." It wasn't a question, it was a statement and Crowly's fingers flinched at her disappointed yet disgusted tone towards him. 

About to cough the awkwardness away, like he usually does, Atreo interrupted him. "Hey teach," Crowley's eyebrow twitched at the nickname that was usually used by Leona. "So I have a question for ya," Atreo mumbled out as she put her head on the table, cheek flat against it while she stared up at him.

While he knew the boy was distressed about his current situation, he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty at the pale look of the boy's tan skin. The boy seems to have bags of stress underneath his eyes too. "Hmm, go ahead and ask it then," Crowley stated.

"I noticed, that there seem to be more males and I have yet to see a female around," Atreo stated as she lifted her head to have a clear look at him. "Oh!" This was a question he can answer with utmost confidence. "That's because this is an all-boys school," Crowley said as he puffed his chest out in pride.

Atreo's mind made that record scratching noise, rewinded itself, and replayed what Crowley said. "An all- _boys_ school?" Atreo said, mouth gaping wide open and eyes as wide as saucers. Crowley nodded his head before inquiring Atreo, seeing her surprise. 

"Is there a problem?" Atreo didn't know what to say. She was just there, shocked. "U - um, yeah actually." Crowley motioned for her to go on. "I... I - I'm not a guy last time I checked." It was like everything froze around them, yet the books still floated about.

"Y - you're not a male?" Crowley croaked out. Atreo nodded, taking off her hood in the progress as if to show him. "I know I may not look like it and probably not act like it," Atreo muttered the last part to herself yet Crowley heard, "But I can assure you that I am a hundred percent female." 

Crowley was speechless at first but sighed as he pressed fingers on his temples and massaged them. "So, not only are you a female but a magicless one at that as well. My my my, you've done nothing but bring trouble to my school." Crowley grunted. 

Atreo flinched knowing that in a way he was right but still he didn't have to be so blunt about it. "We shall discuss that later as there are more important matters to attend to at the moment." Atreo gave him a sheepish smile but then got serious and nodded. 

"Looking at all this," Crowley gestured towards the books, "You may have somehow been brought here from another planet." At this Atreo narrowed her eyes at him but didn't say anything as he continued. "There's also the possibility you're from another world." 

Atreo yelled on impulse, "Another world?! D - does that mean I'm an alien?!" While the thought of being a cool looking badass alien popped into her head, she quickly dismissed the idea since so far, everyone was very human-looking. 

Crowley dismissing on how her eyes sparkled at the alien option, then asked a question that made her stop. "What did you have on you when you came here? Do you have any identification, like a license for a magic car, name on a shoe? You appear to be empty-handed." Atreo furrowed her eyebrows and stood up then patted herself down as quickly as she could to see if maybe, at least, her phone was on her being.

Atreo sighed and shook her head. "Before the carriage got me, I had my backpack on me, and I am positive I had my phone in my pockets." Crowley hummed, "Well that is certainly concerning. Anyhow Ms. Atreo," Atreo pursed her lips at the name. 

"I can't just let someone who can't use magic to stay at school." At that Atreo sat back in the seat and slouched against it, grumbling. "Not my fault that I'm here y'know, I didn't ask for it." Crowley ignored her in favor of continuing, "However, as an educator, I can't just toss a penniless teenager out on the street with no form of communication."

Atreo looked at Crowley in surprise before tears sprung up at his kindness. "H - headmaster... ?" Oh my god, she wanted to thank him over and over again, paying whatever he needed to get done. Someone that won't listen to him? She'll beat them up. Someone who disgraced his name? They'll never be heard from again. 

However, those thoughts were instantly destroyed by Crowley himself. "For I am gracious!" Ah, she's heard that phrase before and was right back then. Immediately her eyes dried up while her face went blank with no emotion.

Silence fell over both of them as Crowley was thinking. "Hey, since you're thinking do you think I can just browse on some books here to read?" Crowley just muttered something and Atreo took that as a yes before grabbing some of the books that were already on the table.

Atreo piled them in a stack. She got up from the table and went to random bookshelves. She looked down the hall and quickly looked back at Crowley who honestly, looked like he was scheming something. If this was an anime she would've sweatdropped at his actions.

Deciding that she wasn't going to die (maybe) she went down the hall, which had more stacks of bookshelves. Not really having anything in mind, she was just looking at the bookshelves as she strolled by them. Kinda what one would do if they lost their mother in a grocery store.

She kept walking and walking till she saw a _very_ tall figure by a bookshelf. So far the only eye-catching thing about this stranger was his hair. It was like turquoise with a long strand of black that was to the side of his face. Atreo stared in wonder and was brought out of it by the tall figure himself. 

"Is there something that you need?" What seemed like a polite smile went on his face as he turned his head to look at her. Atreo's eyes made eye contact with his. His left eye was a yellow color, gold even while the other was an olive color. She couldn't help but smile genuinely at him. He was insanely pretty (at least, to her standards).

The guy wasn't expecting her to smile. His face went blank for a millisecond before his polite smile came back, his eyes narrowed this time. "You still haven't answered my question. Is there something that you need?" He inquired. At this Atreo panicked.

"U - uhm!" Her eyes quickly went to the book in his hands, and curiosity won her over. "What are ya reading?" At this the male blinked, wondering if he had heard her right. He responded. "It's a book on classifying and identifying mushrooms. Such as if they're poisonous or not." 

At that Atreo felt a shiver up her spine. Was this guy indirectly telling her that he was threatening her? At that Atreo smiled but one could tell this one was fake from the one she just gave him. Looks like he could tell too since his overall being changed to a threatening aura.

At first, Atreo was thinking of just throwing fists at the guy but then stopped as she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. The tall male looked at her, seeing what she would do next as he saw her body language change from hostile to placate.

Silence. Staring straight at each others' eyes Atreo opened her mouth. "Sorry." Atreo saw the guy's mismatched eyes widen in what seem like surprise before they returned to their original state. "What for?" He hummed, now getting a bit interested in her, placing a bookmark in the book he had in his hands then closed it shut.

Atreo eyes trailed back to the book and frowned. "Sorry that I interrupted your book time," Then she trailed her gaze back to the guy's, "Sorry that I really wanted to punch you for that indirect threat you made." At that she smiled, this time genuine like the first time she saw him.

The guy was about to speak but Atreo cut him off before he could say anything. "However, I am not sorry for thinking you were insanely pretty." The male didn't know what to say at first. "Say, are ya interested in nature or something?" Atreo said, feeling a little flustered as she basically told the guy he was pretty.

The tall male seems to snap back into reality and smiled his usual smile, this time the air of hostility was no longer there but Atreo just knew, he was still suspicious of her. "One could say that," He hummed. 

Atreo hummed, fiddling with the robe around her. She kinda forgot she was wearing one. Looks like the guy was there at the ceremony or a new student. Who cares, he probably saw her get humiliated in front of a crowd; there goes the idea of possibly getting his number or something.

It was as if the guy knew who she was because his next words struck an arrow to her heart. "Oya? Aren't you the magicless student?" His eyes seem to lit up with interest but then quickly died out as fast as they appeared. Atreo sighed. "Yeah, that's me. Boring, nothing, useless, magicless student."

The male just stared. "I see." He then opened the book back up and started skimming through it. It was painfully clear that he no longer found her interesting and damn did it hurt. "What's your name?" Atreo mumbled quietly not wanting to anger him. 

The tall male looked at her as if judging her that she was worthy of even knowing his name. "Jade." He said as he went back to the book. Atreo hummed, "It fits you." She could hear Crowley call out to her in the distance. "Bye Jade, hope the rest of your day goes well." She waved him goodbye as she quickly ran back to Crowley.

* * *

Jade Leech, vice dorm leader of Octovinelle, decided it was best to spend his time alone in the library, researching on types of mushrooms. Not just that but just to be in a peaceful environment. Being in the ceremony was just time-consuming; especially when he could've spent some time reading.

Humming a small tune to himself, he strolled into the library and went to a section of informative books on anything one could find. He often visited this section out of curiosity, wanting more knowledge and learning things such as why animals act like the way they are, what their habits are, where they live, etc.

Lately, he became invested in the world of mushrooms when he saw one on his hike in his 'Mountain Appreciation Club.' He had picked one and took it home. He cooked it and served it to his twin and Azul. Azul politely declined as he had worked to do while Jade's twin was more than eager, thinking it was interesting to eat something from the land. Let's just say, Jade's twin hates mushroom after that incident.

Jade stopping himself from humming, he quickly places his fingers gently on the spines of the books, trailing them along as he found the book he was finding. Ah, there it was. He slowly lifted it out of the bookshelf it was placed in. Jade quickly flipped the book open and just going to a random page to see if he would be interested in it.

Jade's mismatched eyes would quickly skim the words and pictures, showing the 'parts' of the mushrooms and what they do. Humming in satisfaction, Jade quickly went back to the first page to start reading. On his thirty-fourth page, he felt eyes stare into his form. He tensed up though, it wasn't like anyone would notice since Jade was good at hiding his feelings, well, mostly. The only feeling he'll ever show is his hostile side.

He opened his mouth and asked the question, and quickly plastered on a fake yet realistic polite smile. He asked the question again since whoever it was staring at him, never replied and he could feel his hostile side showing at the fact they never replied. Looking to the side, he wasn't expecting the magicless student to be there, ogling him.

Jade likes to pride himself as threatening and scary-looking, never anything in the section of compliments. So imagine his surprise when the shorter (yet not so short) student to smile at him like he was a diamond in the rough. Jade felt his facade slip momentarily before he regained it back.

He asked the question again and could see the magicless student panic at it. They directed a question about the book in his hand. Feeling slightly annoyed that they were interrupting his book time, he replied honestly though, added the fact that some mushrooms contained poison. 

Jade could feel a smirk coming up when he saw their shiver but almost immediately frowned as they narrowed their eyes at him. Suddenly the air was hostile, as they both were in a stance to strike. Guess they don't know that he was one of the top, most dangerous people in this school, aside from his brother. Jade could feel an amused smirk trying to crawl on its face.

Abruptly, they apologized and it surprised him a bit. Not that people haven't apologized to him, at least, on their own accord. He began to think that the magicless student was interesting but perhaps not interesting enough. Then they told him that he was... pretty. If Jade wasn't good at hiding his feelings, he knew, he would be a bit of a blushing yet smiling mess. 

No one really thought of him in that way so having someone say it right to his face was super surprising... _and interesting._ Then they discussed nature in general (though very short-lived). Jade didn't want to give out too much information, seeing that they don't know him yet. He quickly ignored them. Jade wanted to save his curiosity for later if, _no, when_ they meet again.

They had asked for his name, confirming his little theory that they didn't know who he truly was and Jade felt like this was a lifetime opportunity. He pretended not to be as interested as he had been earlier and told them his first name. Then he heard the headmaster call their name. They quickly bid him goodbye and left.

Jade waited till he heard no more footsteps and pushed the book closer to his face as a grin took over his face, teeth showing. "Atreo huh... ? Interesting, _very interesting._ " Jade chuckled. If one saw him right now, they probably would've mistaken him as Floyd and not Jade. Quickly storing that name in his brain, Jade went back to his book, a small genuine minuscule smile on his face.

* * *

Crowley and Atreo quickly made their way out of the library as they both briskly walked towards the place Crowley told Atreo would be living in. "There is an unused building on campus," Crowley said as his long strides were challenging Atreo who struggled to keep up once again.

"It was once used as a dormitory in the past so if you can clean it up, you should at least be able to sleep there. For the time being, I shall allow you to stay there! Then I will look for a way for you to return home." Crowley stated. 

Atreo could feel herself tear up at the words but immediately dried them with her hands as she had a feeling he was going to say something similar to his catchphrase he seemed to like saying. And she was right. "My graciousness is limitless! I am a model for all educators!" Crowley exclaimed before going walking faster.

"We better be on our way. Let's head to the dormitory. It may be a bit old but there is a certain charm to it!" Atreo stumbled after him, cursing at her robe before taking it off and tying it around her waist like a jacket, then quickly ran after him to make up some of the time she lost with her robe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC @ Jade: Damn boi, who you?? 👀 
> 
> Jade: nun
> 
> MC: ???
> 
> Jade: nunaofyadamnbusiness
> 
> MC: 👁💧👄💧👁
> 
> \----
> 
> man this shows how much i love the leech bros smh 😔 im such a leech bros stan someone send help,, i also feel like i didnt do jade justice either sdfsd pls forgive me


	6. Chapter 5: Various Things in the Room

Atreo would be lying if she said the dorm was super pretty. No, she was just straight-up lying but beggars can't be choosers now, can they? "Ah, that's... _too_ much charm." She saw Crowley open the gate which creaked from rustiness. She winced at the noise, eyes darting to the nameplate that was on the bricks that were on either side of the gateway. Atreo quickly followed him up those stairs that led to the door to the old dormitory.

"Right, right. Please come inside." Crowley said as he opened the door with a key which he then handed the key to Atreo. "Here since you'll be living here, you'll need the key for the door." Atreo then put it in her pants pocket. "Hey, uhm... " Atreo shuffled around nervously. "I - I'm going to need some clothes... I can't just rely on these ceremonial robes." 

As if Crowley was struck by lightning, he gaped at her before putting his hand on his chin. "Well, I suppose I can have Mr. Crewel make some clothes for you. I'll bring some tomorrow, is that alright?" He flickered his yellow orbs at her. Atreo nodded instantly but then remembered something.

"If you can, can you tell him not to make any skirts? I don't really like them and they _really_ make me uncomfortable." Crowley hummed in thought before snapping his fingers. "You are obviously asking too much from me for someone who will be just sleeping here till we get you back home."

At that Atreo went on her knees and put her hands up, in a begging pose. "Oh great and magnificent, respected headmaster Crowley, won't you find it in yourself to help this poor helpless young woman?" Crowley then puffed his chest out, ego being boosted to the moon. "Of course! I will ask Mr. Crewel not to include skirts then!"

Atreo then thanked him over and over again till Crowley had to leave. "Staying here will at least keep you out of the rain, I'm going back to do more research. Make yourself at home. Don't go wandering around the school! Goodbye!" And with that Crowley left with those parting words.

Looking around the dorm lounge, Atreo sighed, "I have to clean just to sit down huh?" With that, Atreo swept the couch with her hands, making sure that the robe didn't catch any dust on it. The moment Atreo planted her butt on the dusty couch, the rain started pouring in. 

Atreo sighed, seeing some raindrops pour in, and some parts of the ceiling getting wet. "It's raining," Atreo mumbled to herself before getting up from the couch. "Geh! It's really coming down!" Atreo whirled herself around so quickly, she would've pulled a neck muscle.

It was Grim! He was alive! Although, Atreo remembered what Grim did to get kicked out. Seems like Grim can see that she remembered. "Gyahaha! You've got this stupid look on your face like a spider being attacked by a water gun!" Atreo pouted as she crossed her arms. "My face isn't stupid." She grumbled.

"Anyways," Atreo waved the previous topic off, "How'd you get here? I thought they threw you out?" Grim cackled, though this time, looking a bit more endearing to the eyes. "I'll have no trouble sneaking back into the school. Come on, come on! If you think getting thrown out is gonna make me give up on getting in, you've got another thing coming!"

Hearing Grim talk about a school he couldn't even attend, so passionate, made Atreo raise an eyebrow. "Why do you want to go to this school so badly?" Grim perked up, blue widen eyes twinkling as he immediately told Atreo his reasons. 

"That's simple! I'm a genius who is destined to be a great magician! I've been waiting for the Ebony Carriage to come to pick me up. But... But... " At that, Grim's ears went down, kinda like a cat when you piss it off too much and they're about to strike you with their sharp claws.

"Hmph!" Grim pouted, crossing his little arms over his chest. "The Dark Mirror just doesn't have an eye for this!" He said, gesturing his entire furry little body. Atreo had to hold in her laughter at the sight. No, she can't afford to be rude to him at the moment; what if he attacks her for it? 

"So that's why I came here on my own. Not letting me in would be a loss for the world, humans just don't get it." Grim sighed dramatically as he gave Atreo the stink eye, making Atreo roll her eyes. The water from the ceiling came down and dripped on Grim. "Nyaa! So cold! The roof is leaking!"

At that Atreo let out a chuckle but looked away the moment Grim turned to look at her, suspecting that it was her that laughed. "Did you just laugh at me?" Atreo cleared her throat before putting on a serious face. "No, could've been the wind." Grim narrowed his eyes at her but didn't say anything else on that matter. 

The water drips on Grim again and Atreo had to keep a straight face or else the excuse that it could've been the wind would go out the window. "Fgehk! It keeps coming! My adorable ear's fire is gonna go out at this rate!" Adorable? Atreo looked at Grim. "I mean I guess..." Atreo mumbled before sighing.

"We should go and find a bucket," Atreo said loudly so that Grim can hear what she said. And oh boy did he hear her. "Well, we can use magic to fix the leak in the ceiling! Oh wait, you can't use magic! Pfft!" Grim finished with a laugh pissing Atreo off.

"Why you...!" Atreo can feel her skin heat up with anger as she felt like punting the shit out of Grim. She inhaled and exhaled to calm herself down. "Why don't you help me then, O' Wise Grim." Well, she was a bit calmer than she was originally so...

"Huh? Help you? No way!" Grim whined as his tail flicked back and forth like a cat would, "I'm just a regular monster staying in a rainy place. You better get a can of tuna ready before I do any work." Atreo scoffed but didn't say anything. More water drips down and Atreo sighed. _'Regular my ass,'_ Atreo thought as she walked down the hallway. "Gotta find that bucket then." She uttered.

Setting foot into the hallway Atreo couldn't help but shiver violently. The hallway looked terrifying, and the moonlight didn't help its case. A noise was heard and Atreo froze. Her mind immediately tried to rationalize everything. _'Can't be Grim, I just left him in the lounge room, then what the fuck is it?'_

"Ooooh, I don't like this feeling... " Atreo stated out loud, trying to comfort herself in some way. Atreo could've sworn someone had placed a hand on her shoulder and Atreo tensed. The last time she checked it was just her and Grim so who's hand is on her shoulder?

Atreo quickly turned and threw a punch instinctively except... nothing was there? Then she heard it, the laughter that seems to echo around her. "Geheheheh! We haven't had a guest in so long." "I'm itching for some action!" "Geheheheh!"

Atreo screamed as she saw three ghosts appear in front of her. Atreo scrambled back as much as she could. Guess Grim heard her and came running to see what was the commotion was about. "What are you freaking out-" Grim cut himself off as his eyes went wide seeing the three ghosts in front of them.

"GYA! G - G - G - GHOSTS!" Grim then ran behind Atreo who was now on the floor from the scramble earlier. Both Grim and Atreo shivered at the ghosts who began to speak. "The people living here got scared of us and left." One of them said. "We've been looking for more ghost pals. How about you guys?" Another asked.

Atreo's face went pale, was he indirectly telling them they were gonna get killed? Two threats in one day? Maybe Crowley was right about her being a trouble bringer. "We're gonna die Grim!" Atreo yelled as she scooped up the cat into her arms and stumbled to get up.

"Uh, uh, uh!" Grim looked around panicked as he went from her arms to her shoulder, crouching on it and he saw the ghosts cackling at them. This pissed Grim off. "Grim, the Great Magician, isn't scared of some ghosts!" Grim jumped off Atreo's shoulder and summoned fire, aiming at the ghosts.

Atreo turned around, no longer feeling Grim on her shoulder, and watched everything go down. The ghosts seem to laugh even harder when Grim would miss them. "Where are you aiming?" The skinniest and more skeletal looking one said while the chubby one laughed, "Over here, over here! Heeheehee!"

"Agh!" Grim growled out in frustration, "Stop disappearing!" The ghosts giggle, clearly egging Grim on. "You'll burn down the place like this! Wait, are you aiming with your eyes closed?!" Atreo was flabbergasted. "Shut up! Don't try to give me orders!" Grim said, scrunching his eyes closed.

Atreo was able to dodge a fireball Grim summoned. "Open your eyes!" Grim ignored her and continue to summon fire. "You might win the Headmaster's favor if you drive them out!" Atreo shouted but even then Grim was too focused on trying to hit the ghosts. "I - I'll give you a can of tuna if you win!" Atreo yelled as she dodged again.

That caught Grim's attention, "Wah!? Mmgmm. I - I'm a genius. I won't let one-" The ghosts reappeared, one in between Grim and Atreo and the other one, behind Grim. "Ah! Bunch of cowards for ganging up on us!" Grim hissed, fur standing up.

"Please take care to not burn the one getting your prize!" Atreo screeched at Grim. Atreo ducked as a fireball was sent her way, "For a limited time, I'll give you one more can!" Atreo cried out as she pretty much ballet and danced to avoid the fire.

"Hey, you! Tell me where the ghosts are!" Grim commanded. Atreo nodded dumbly. She looked and saw a ghost appear on Grim's left. "On your left!" She said before throwing a kick towards a ghost behind her, surprised her foot didn't go through. The ghost behind her grunted in pain before phasing back into the wall.

"HOT!" One of the ghosts yelled out in pain. Atreo cheered, letting out a loud 'Whoop!' as Grim puffed his chest out in pride. "I hit it! Alright, let's chase them all outta here!" Grim grinned as he now chased after the ghosts through the long hallway. Atreo also ran after them, her long legs catching up in no time.

Atreo would punch and kick while giving out locations on where the ghosts would be for Grim to grill. "To your right!" Atreo called out as she punched and kicked into just air. If someone saw her right now, she's damn sure they would think she's mental and belong in an institute. 

To say they chased the ghosts around in the hallway and eventually the lounge room was an understatement. These ghosts must've been in track and field too because their stamina was endless. Atreo would've been out of breath but thankfully being in track & field and climbing up hills for leg strength really helped her out at this moment.

Thirty minutes went by and the ghosts still persisted. "How are you still able to handle this?!" Atreo's mind was boggled at them. The ghosts heard her and laughed, "Years of training you could say!" "Argh, don't talk to them!" Grim complained as he kept shooting fireballs at them. 

"Eh?!" Originally Atreo was just complaining about the ghosts' stamina but hearing Grim tell her what not to do got on her nerves. "I can talk to the ghosts any time I want! Who are you to tell me what to do huh?!" "HUH?!" Grim retorted back. The ghosts that were previously being chased were now floating as they watched Grim and Atreo argue.

"Hehehe, looks like they're swell pals!" Both Atreo and Grim turned to the ghosts, looking pissed as they simultaneously yelled, "WE ARE NOT!" Then they glared at each other about to choke each other out. "Oh how the tables have turned, they've turned against each other!" The ghosts laughed.

Maybe the ghosts shouldn't have laughed as both Grim and Atreo looked at them, ready to murder. The ghosts shivered and clung together. Atreo grinned a malicious grin, as her dark eyebags didn't help her appearance, as Grim jumped on her shoulder, hissing at them.

"Hey three stooges, you don't mind if we, _play around for a bit huh?_ " Atreo popped her fingers and knuckles as she stepped forward. "I'm tired, sad, and annoyed. Thankfully I think I just found my outlet to release all those emotions." Atreo's eyes glinted. "Nyahahah! Tell them human! They chose the wrong people to mess with!" Grim cheered, tail flicking around. 

\-------

"Rook!" Vil yelled out as he strolled through the halls of Pomefiore. Rook who had just got out of his room greeted Vil. "Ah Roi du Poison, what is it that you need my assistance for?" Rook asked with his polite smile. Vil huffed, bringing up a hand at his temple and rubbed it.

"Can you please keep an eye on that first year?" "Ah which one?" Vil gave Rook a confused look for a split second but that was quickly replaced with annoyance. "The one that's more important than whoever else you're talking about." "Oh, so Monsieur Cherry Apple then?"

Vil nodded but then hesitated. "May I ask who the other person you wanted to keep an eye on?" Rook hummed, the ever so present smile there on his face. "The magicless student." Vil furrowed his eyebrows a bit. "What for? More than likely they'll be sent home, at least by now." Vil gestured towards the window that showed the darkness outside.

Rook nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, I suppose they will but they're in a way, interesting. Don't you agree Roi du Poison? A magicless student in a school where magic is everything you need." Rook hummed. "And if my memory serves me right, they looked soft, similar to our Monsieur Cherry Apple, yet... " Vil waited patiently for Rook to put it into words.

"Yet?" Vil snapped, his patience running thin with his vice dorm leader. "Hmm, they didn't have the air of daintiness? I can't exactly put it into words but they were... rather built more like, perhaps rugged even? It's a shame though, we will never find out since they are no longer here," Rook sighed, sounding dramatic.

'Well," Vil started with a frown, "Since they're not going to be here, focus more on Epel. After all, I need him and I can't have him messing everything up." With those as his last words, Vil twirled around on his heel and left.

"Hmm, Roi du Poison is right. I shouldn't focus so much on this person. If I remember correctly, Epel is maybe outside in the courtyard." Rook said, adjusting his hat before making his way outside. Oh if only Rook knew that the magicless student was going to be staying and causing them trouble in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC and Grim: (pointing at the cat meme)
> 
> The Ghosts: (the cat)


	7. Chapter 6: Exceptional Trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these notes are probably a little annoying but its just so I can explain myself for certain stuff
> 
> number 1) I never played the game so I don't know what certain battles and such are like  
> (though I'm very tempted to start learning Japanese just to know what they're saying during those little battles)
> 
> number 2) I'm usually on the wiki to see the translations and base off stuff on there + youtube to see how their body language is and facial expressions

Finally, the ghosts went away. "Hee, hee! We're goners! Run away!" And just like that, the ghosts disappeared for good. Atreo sighed before going back to the couch and laying down on it, no longer caring if it was dusty or not.

Grim who was on her shoulder, hopped off next to her, sitting on the arm of the couch, poking her with one of his hind legs. "Eh don't die! You still owe me a couple of tuna cans!" Atreo whined, wacking Grim's leg away.

"Just let me rest for five minutes. I had a rough day and you certainly didn't help, _at all._ " Atreo glared at him harshly, making Grim flinch. Seeing Grim flinch made her frown and sigh, closing her eyes as she placed a hand on him, gently patting his head.

"Sorry, I'm just... filled with mixed emotions." Grim tilted his head. "Eh? Why? Shouldn't you be happy that you're staying here and going to school?" Grim said in a bitter tone. Atreo stayed silent then opened her mouth. "I'm not supposed to be here." Grim looked at her with wide eyes. "H - Hey, I know you're magicless but don't talk like that!"

"Like what?" Atreo furrowed her eyebrows then realized. "Ah no I didn't mean it in a depressing way. I mean I literally don't belong here. I'm super sure the carriage made a mistake. Besides, do you really think Crowley would let me into the school for free _and_ without any magic?" Atreo huffed.

Grim put a paw on his chin and think. "Hmm, I guess not?" Grim's blue eyes looked at Atreo. "So, why don't you go home then?" Atreo frowned deeply, putting her hands behind her head, fingers intertwined. "I can't. My world doesn't exist here." Grim looked perplexed at her words. 

"What do you mean your world doesn't exist? You're not from here?" Grim asked eyes wide. "Yeah, I wasn't born here like the others, or the lands, history, and such. Everything here is new to me. I'm like a newborn baby that has yet to learn anything. The concept of magic is foreign to me since, in my world, it doesn't really exist."

Grim didn't say anything, just listening to the troubled teen's problems like a therapist would. "So, imagine someone from a world where that doesn't exist. I end up in a world where magic is literally everything, breathing and such." Atreo paused for a bit, wondering what her next words will be. "I'm sure that without magic, I would be stronger." At that, Atreo grinned.

"I would believe that," Grim nodded in agreement, "You were punching, kicking those ghosts left and right! Though, it looked as if you were a duckling trying to fight!" Grim snickered, remembering Atreo flail around with legs and arms. "Well," Atreo smiled sheepishly, "I don't know _exactly_ to fight but I've seen video game characters so I kinda... use that?" Atreo shrugged.

"Hmm, but it works!" Grim pointed it out. "Eh, I guess but if I had to fight actual people? I might need to start working out to build muscle so I can defend myself in the future." Atreo groaned as she placed her hands over her face.

"You're so lucky that you have magic. Don't take that for granted and use it wisely," Atreo said out, narrowing her eyes as she pointed at him accusingly. Grim pouted and muttered a 'yeah sure, whatever,' as a rebellious pre-teen would say.

"I'm gonna try to take a nap, I'm mentally and emotionally drained," Atreo whined before putting an arm over her eyes and left the other hanging off of the couch. Atreo's mind began to wander, drifting away from reality when Grim sat on her stomach, tucking in his paws and purring while in loaf mode.

Atreo dreamed for a bit, remembering earlier events except some parts of it were weird. Like how perhaps where she was supposed to duck down, she did, or she ends up getting Grim by the scruff of his neck, earning herself some burns on her arm. Another where she never met Jade and sat at the table waiting for Crowley.

Knocking woke her and Grim up. Atreo sat up, quickly grabbing Grim and placing him on the cushion next to her. She got up and went to the worn-down front door. Rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes, she opened the door, "Hello?" Her tired croaky voice sounded out. 

"Oh! My apologies Ms. Atreo, I hadn't realized you were asleep." It was Crowley. Atreo hadn't realized that her muscles were tense until she felt her body relax fully. "It's fine," Atreo mumbled as she leaned on the doorway. "Anyways what are you doing here? You never said you were returning any time soon."

"Ah! I have graciously brought you supper!" Crowley exclaimed as he shoved his way inside the dor. Atreo rolled her eyes when he went past. Nonetheless, she closed the door and followed him to the lounge room where she, in that moment, forgot Grim was there.

Crowley gasped, nearly dropping Atreo's tray of food where she assumes came from the cafeteria or something considering the tray. Atreo quickly dove for it but ended up getting nothing and hitting the ground. Thankfully Crowley had great reflexes and was able to save her food from the floor.

Crowley went to go put food in the kitchen to put the tray of food on the table there. As he did this, Atreo and Grim both winced and looked at each other. Atreo was worried that Grim was going to be kicked out once again. She's grown rather fond of the cat and it seems like it's vice versa as Grim quickly hid behind her legs.

"You!" Crowley said, coming out of the kitchen, forefinger pointing at Grim who flinched. "You're the monster that ran amuck during the entrance ceremony! I threw out of the school, what are you doing here?!" Grim whimpered and hid even more, making Atreo frown at the obvious mistreatment.

Somehow Grim gathered the courage to talk back. "Hmph! I exterminated the ghost problem! Be grateful!" Grim snapped at Crowley (yet still hiding behind the leg of Atreo). Crowley looked confused by what Grim said. "Hmm? What do you mean by that?"

That's where Atreo stepped in. "Before I can explain everything, may we go to the kitchen to talk about it? I'm getting hungry." On cue, her stomach rumbled yet she didn't look at all embarrassed. In fact, she looked proud?! Both Grim and Crowley sweatdropped. "Of course, of course." Crowley nodded as they all trekked into the kitchen.

Soon they all sat down on the table, and by all, only the humans sat down. Grim chose the wisest choice and sat on Atreo's lap, looking into the food tray to see if he can snag something. Atreo looked into the tray as well. It wasn't much but right now beggars can't be choosers.

Thankfully Crowley brought some plastic silverware (the ones that come in a plastic covering). Atreo grabbed it and tore it open, grabbing the spoon. She dipped the spoon into the bowl of soup and brought it back out, putting it into her mouth. "Ah.~ I forgot I didn't eat so this feels great."

Grim perked up and pawed at her arm with the spoon. Atreo understood, repeated the action, and gave some soup to Grim who also seems to sigh in contentedness. Contentedness that lasted exactly ten seconds.

"Ah! Why are you feeding the raccoon?!" Crowley yelled, about to swipe the bowl of soup away. Atreo stopped him by grabbing the bowl and put it close to her chest. She glared at him, "Hey, I said I would explain didn't I? I didn't know a headmaster is an impatient man." 

Crowley made an offended noise but didn't say anything afterwards. "Anyways, so some ghosts occupy here. Before you can say anything bad, both Grim and I defended ourselves together." Crowley hummed, tapping his forefinger on his chin as he watches the two misfits eat like there was no tomorrow.

"So, they scared the shit out of us, and we decided that they were messing with the wrong group," Atreo said, every once and a while, feeding Grim some spoonfuls. "There were exactly three of them If I remember correctly. I mean it's not much to explain but that's what really happened. Oh, and they tired us out, who knew ghosts had endless stamina," Atreo stated with bitterness. 

Crowley was now having his hands intertwined together in an upright position as his yellow orbs watched them interact. Atreo scolding Grim that he could've spilled the soup while Grim denied everything with the soup.

"Now that you mention it, there were some prankster ghosts living here so students keep away from this dormitory," Crowley stated, gaining the other two's attention as soon as he spoke. "And that's why it is now empty. I'd forgotten that. However, hmm."

Both Atreo and Grim waited with baited breaths, flickering their eyes at each other. "For you two to work together to get rid of them," Crowley's yellow orbs seem to glow more than it usually did, making Atreo shiver. Atreo wanted to know what Grim was drinking or eating to gather courage juice and speak to the headmaster like it was nothing.

"I'm not gonna overlook that 'together' comment. They were just standing there watching," Atreo gave him a blank look yet her mind was yelling. _'I did nothing?! Excuse me?! I tried everything that I could!'_ "And I did this for a can of tuna! Ah! I haven't gotten that tuna yet!" Grim said as realization shocked him.

"I'd like the two of you to show me how you exterminated those ghosts." Atreo couldn't help but scowl at him while Grim wore a look that screamed 'I cannot believe this man!' Same Grim, same. "But we already have gotten rid of all the ghosts!" Grim yelled, Atreo nodding in agreement.

"Before that; give me some tuna!" Grim shouted and Atreo sheepishly whistled, looking away. "I shall be the ghosts. If you beat me, I'll give you tuna cans, for I am gracious." Atreo couldn't believe this guy. If she wasn't so tired she would've Mortal Kombat his ass to space.

"Do we really have to?" Atreo whined, "I'm still tired from the ones earlier." Crowley flickered his orbs back and both between Atreo and Grim. "I'm sure you both will find a solution to the problem. Now, let's begin!"

Crowley then pulled out a little glass bottle that looked... green. "Now, transformation potion!" and drank the potion down in one swoop. Oh no... he looked like one of the ghosts but that wasn't what Atreo was holding in her laughter for. It was the fact that his stupid hat and mask stayed on as if to tell Grim and Atreo, that this was the headmaster.

Grim looked visibly disappointed that he was going to have to use his magic. _'How do you think I feel little man? I don't even have magic to use!'_ Atreo internally sobbed, envious that even a cat, has magic and her, none. They all walked to the hallway, well Atreo walked, Crowley floated, and Grim was just perched on Atreo's shoulder.

Once they got to their destination, Atreo sighed before assuming a form that could easily deflect punches. Or at least she thinks it could; As she said before, she didn't know any _actual_ fighting. Grim whined, "Eh, I don't wanna. This is a pain and I have to team up with them again."

Ah now, Atreo had to play the persuasion game and get Grim to go along with it. "This might be a chance to get into school, to show him what you got and if that doesn't convince you enough, it's a chance for another can of tuna," Atreo whispered to Grim who's tail whipped around excitedly at the mention of tuna.

"Hnnghah! Fine but you absolutely, _absolutely_ have to give me the tuna!" Grim scowled yet his entire body language was happy just by the word tuna. "Now then," Crowley said, gaining both of their attention once again. "Let's fight shall we?" And with those words, he disappeared like the ghosts did earlier.

Atreo didn't move a bit, relying on feeling. Grim, confused by this was about to poke her cheek with his paw but was super startled when Atreo yelled. "To your right!" And almost instinctively Grim summoned fire in the direction Atreo said. 

A grunt was heard but before Atreo could look, ghost Crowley disappeared back into the wall. Though a little late, Atreo was able to dodge Crowley's body when it appeared out of nowhere, stumbling and trying to catch herself so she wouldn't be on the wooden floors.

"Shit!" Atreo cursed, and it was like Crowley was mocking her because all she heard was a wavy yet whispery, 'language.' Frowning, Atreo decided to just swing a punch randomly. Imagine being able to punch a pillow; that's what it was like punching ghost Crowley.

More than anything, Atreo was surprised she was able to land a punch. "I - I meant to do that!" She said proudly while Grim looked at her like she was a fungus that was growing on someone's shoe or of the sort.

With Grim summoning fireballs and Atreo just swinging randomly, the fight was soon put to an end. "Okay, we are now done." Ghost Crowley said, floating there. Just... floating there. Atreo and Grim looked at each other, confused as to why Crowley hasn't transformed back.

"Ah," Ghost Crowley stated, "It doesn't wear off till an hour." An awkward silence ensued. "That's... something," Atreo said, holding in her laughter again. "Actually, I have more to ask of you, oh gracious headmaster."

"I am listening," Ghost Crowley said with pride. "I know we talked about clothing earlier but it just hit me... How am I suppose to get undergarments and how can I wash them when they get dirty?" The ghosty headmaster hummed.

"I suppose either I or Crewel will have to get some for you outside of school. As for the washing... I'm sure this dormitory has one, although just like the dormitory itself, it might be rustic, but still usable. Let's go see shall we?" Ghost Crowley said, floating away to where the washing and drying machine would be.

They went to the door that was at the end of the hallway and opened it. Dust hit everyone. Atreo coughed, putting a hand over her mouth to prevent dust from being inhaled while Grim sneezed like crazy. Ghost Crowley didn't do anything, just continued forward.

Crowley then began to mess with the washing machines and to Atreo's amazement, they worked?! "Wait! How are they working?! Them suckers might be a thousand years old!" Atreo's lower jaw hung in shock.

"Old but works well it seems." Atreo wanted to desperately point out that even Crowley himself sounds surprised these machines were still able to do the thing they were created for. "Well, you might need to clean the machines themselves before any washing. Don't worry, tomorrow I'll give you supplies to clean the dorm."

Atreo heaved a sigh. "Looks like I'll be working out in a different way then huh? At least, on the bright side, I'll have some sort of muscle. Now I just need to take some self dense class." Crowley overhead her and floated towards her.

"Why would you need self-defense?" Atreo pinched the bridge of her nose then explained it to him. "I'm a magicless person. I don't have any magic to protect myself. At least if someone were to physically fight me, I would be able to fight back, does that make sense teach?"

"Hmm, well you'll have to find a way then because I can't keep supplying you with such things. There's only so much I can do." He did, in a way, have a good point. It's not like Atreo asked being homeless but she does hate having to rely on someone who's already doing so much for her.

"Yeah, no, I agree. I'll find a way don't worry. All I need are the clothes and cleaning the supplies. Thank you," Atreo bowed, showing her genuine thanks. "I'll do my best at whatever you need me for in the future." Boy, she'll regret those words very soon.

"Ah, it is no problem for a headmaster like me! For I am gracious!" Atreo scrunched up her face to prevent herself from laughing. Just seeing the ghost version of Crowley saying that just... feels a bit more ironic considering ghosts are what people when they don't or unable to pass the other side. 

Though the ghosts here feel and act a bit more different than the ones in her universe. She then turned to Grim as they all started walking out of the laundry room and back to the lounge. "Ya think the ghosts from before will come back?'

Grim harumphed, "If they know what's good for them then they won't be coming back for a while!" Somehow Atreo doubted that. Once getting to the lounge room, Atreo sat down on the couch, engaging talk with Crowley and Grim. She saw Crowley glare at him and Atreo can only hope that whatever the future holds for them, that Crowley will be able to let Grim at least stay in the dormitory with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ghost Crowley: (existing)
> 
> MC: (a bunch of wheezing noises)


	8. Chapter 7: Warm Hearted Principal

Eventually, Crowley was his normal human self. Thank god, Atreo wouldn't be able to keep a straight face once they were going to discuss very serious things. Things such as Grim himself.

Speaking of Grim, he was a bit tired with all the fire he shot at Crowley. "H - hee, ha, How 'bout that!" Grim exclaimed yet, was laying on top of Atreo's head, panting as if he just ran a marathon. Guess magic can be taxing on your overall being if you don't use it wisely.

"I can't believe that there is a person who can command monsters," Crowley stated, not sitting down. Atreo can't blame him though, literally everything was so dusty. Right now she knows the moment she gets up from the couch, there might be a dusty butt print on it. That's how bad it was.

"Uhm, monsters? I don't think I would go that far teach, I have no magic after all." Crowley ignored her. Atreo just shrugged her shoulders, not caring if he heard her. "Hmmm... Actually, my teacher senses were telling me since the uproar during the entrance ceremony that you have talent as an animal or wild beast trainer," Crowley said. 

Atreo's face was blank. She wanted to so desperately call him out on his bullshit. Does this guy live off of his ego or something? Even though it was dumb, in a way, it was admirable. How can he have so much damn confidence?! Where does he get it from and how can she obtain some?

"But... no matter how... " Crowley trailed off, muttering feverishly to himself. Atreo stayed quiet, wanting to see if he was gonna say anything. Three minutes went past and all you could hear was Crowley still muttering to himself. Atreo decided it was safe to speak now.

"Could you please let Grim stay here with me?" Crowley snapped his head up at the plea Atreo made. Grim who was starting to drift off into a nap, immediately jolted at the words, whipping his head to look at Atreo in shock. 

"What now? Let a monster live here?" Why was Crowley so surprised at her kindness? Atreo furrowed her eyebrows in what seemed like anger but she's just has bitch resting face syndrome and got up from the couch. Then she bowed, "Please!" She begged.

"Eh? Human?" Grim's voice was wobbly, making Atreo check on him, and was surprised to see big blobs of tears in his eyes that were threatening to spill over. "Ah don't cry Grim," Atreo reassured before Grim sniffled and rubbed his eyes. "Who said I was crying huh?" Atreo deadpanned but didn't say anything.

Crowley, who saw the emotional moment, snapped his fingers. "Hah. It can't be helped. Alright." The snap gained the attention of the two who were having a moment, snapped their head towards the headmaster. Realizing that the headmaster agreed to the arrangement, Grim yelled in surprise, "EH!? Really?!" 

Atreo would've celebrated if not for the fact she had a gut feeling that he was going to use his kindness against her. She was right. "However," Crowley initiated, making Atreo wince. She's starting to hate her gut feelings.

"I can't simply allow someone, let alone a monster, into school who wasn't selected by the Dark Mirror. Also, I can't let you be a freeloader here until you return to your own world." Crowley declared. 

Grim whipped his head towards Atreo, whispering loudly, "You weren't making that up?!" This made Atreo pinch one of Grim's ear and pulled, "Of course not, why would I make that up?!" She whisper-yelled in return.

Atreo grunted as she let go the ear of a whining Grim before looking at Crowley. "Well... talk about short-lived joy," Grim said referencing the topic where they talking about Grim staying here in Ramshackle dorm.

"Listen until the end," Crowley said, "Concerning the fact that your soul was called here, the school has to take responsibility as the owners of the Dark Mirror. For the time being, you'll be permitted to stay in this dormitory for free," Atreo mentally cheered and thanked everything that she's able to stay somewhere. _'I'm not gonna be homeless!'_

Crowley continued, "But, other necessities, besides the ones I already promised you, you will have to provide the rest for yourself. Seeing as you have nothing to your name... " Crowley trailed off then started chuckling though it sounded a bit evil. "Fufu, here is my proposition."

Ah, there it is. The catch. There's always a catch, Atreo learned that at a very young age. The tension was in the air but then Atreo sighed, "I'm a virgi-" "NO!" Crowley interrupted before clearing his throat, "No, it doesn't have to do with anything like that." "Then what exactly are you going to have me do?" Atreo said lazily looking at him.

"No need to fret, I'll have you do maintenance and odd jobs around campus." Maintenance? Sounds interesting. Atreo perked up, "Am I gonna be fixing stuff? I'm pretty skilled at figuring out machines." Sort of, but she wasn't going to tell him that. 

Crowley waved her off, "No you won't be actually fixing stuff. If anything, from what I can see, you're pretty decent at cleaning." Crowley pointed to the couch which wasn't as dusty as other surfaces. She didn't want to tell Crowley that all she did was use her hand, not if this is an opportunity to have Grim stay with her.

"Would you two like to become the 'handyman' of the school? That way you will receive special permission to remain on school grounds. You'll also be able to research going home or study whatever you desire in the library. For I am gracious!" Crowley said without taking a breathe or breaking a sweat. Atreo was about to ask about his skill when he started up again.

"However! Only after your work is done." Atreo pursed her lips in thought, thinking his offer over in her head. _'Doesn't seem too bad, all I have to do is clean and whenever my work is done, I can go to the library.'_ Atreo's eyes widen before a smile spilled on her lips. _'Maybe I can meet Jade again!'_

Making up her mind, (with simping in mind) Atreo opened her lips and was about to agree to the arrangement if it weren't for Grim opening his mouth first. "Eh!? I'm not okay with that!" Grim pouted while Atreo had to restrain herself from going over to Grim and choke him out. She didn't want to be homeless!

"I wanna wear that fancy uniform and be a student!" Grim whined like a toddler. Atreo groaned silently and put her hands on her hips, looking at Grim disappointedly. 

"It's fine if you're unsatisfied. I'll simply toss you out again." At this Atreo was quick to ask him. "And by 'you' you mean Grim right? I just want to see if I have that right." Atreo chuckled while wringing her hands nervously. She didn't have to turn around to know that Grim was staring at her with betrayal. 

"Of course I mean the monster, I wouldn't be so cruel to kick out a young woman to the streets whereas she is unfamiliar with," Crowley stated, although a bit amused she was willing to throw Grim under the bus as she had done before.

"Fgna!" Grim interrupted their discussion of kicking him out. "Fine! I get it, I get it! I just have to do it!" Grim accepted the living arrangement and the terms that come with it. Atreo sighed. Although she threw Grim under the bus, in reality, she would try to sneak him back in if he did get thrown out. 

Finally, she nodded her head towards Crowley, "Understood. I don't have any complaints about that." Crowley chuckled which this time, sounded just plain disturbing. "I don't think you should have room to complain personally but I will take into account of that in the future then."

"Wonderful," Crowley clapped and began to head towards the front door, "Then, you two starting tomorrow, endeavor to be the best handyman at Night Raven College. Oh but please do sleep early, after all, I will be waking you up early for your extra exchange of clothes and cleaning supplies."

Atreo scrunched her face up but acknowledged what he said. "Okay, I'll sleep early teach." Grim pouted, "Does that mean I also have to wake up?" Crowley shrugged. "That's up to your new roommate monster." At that Atreo couldn't help but have a menacing grin as she looked at Grim who gulped in nervousness.

She turned back to face Crowley and walked with him towards the door. "Goodnight teach, sleep well." She bid him goodnight with a goodbye. Crowley tipped his hat forward with a slight bow then left, waving a hand and saying 'Goodnight!', exiting through the front door. 

Atreo closed the door when she made sure he was by the gates. She turned around to see Grim looking at her quizzically. "Well, I suppose we should go clean up at least a room for us to sleep in." With those words, she quickly went to one of the doors that were in the hallway.

She went to the first door and tried to open it. She tried a few more times before sighing. _'Must be locked.'_ Atreo went to the second one and was able to turn the knob successfully. Thankfully it was a bedroom and she teared up in happiness. _'Now I won't have to climb those rickety stairs!'_

Opening the door wide, with its usual creaky noise that Atreo was beginning to get used to, she walked in with Grim hot on her heels. It wasn't too bad looking, just looks like it needs to be cleaned up more is all, and considering what she was now, this would be no problem to do.

Sighing, she untied the ceremonial robe around her waist and placed it on the bed. Grim made a quizzical noise at this. "I'm gonna clean for a bit," Atreo answered tugging at the sleeves that she had with the underclothing that went with the robe. Grim made an 'oh' before hopping up on the bed and watched Atreo clean with her hands since she had no materials to use with.

Now the room didn't look as bad as it did before but it still looked like a wreck. Atreo turned to the bed. "Get off real quick, I'm going to check if it has dust and if it does I'm gonna have to flap it around to it get off." Not understanding what she meant but knew better than to argue with her, Grim got off.

She did exactly what she said she did. Atreo grabbed the sheets, whipping them around getting excess dirt and dust off. Grim sat on the chair that had a blue covering on it, watching her basically beat up the sheets and bed. "Ew," Grim grimaced as he saw a crapload of dust fly off the bed.

Atreo then grabbed the pillow and proceeded to beat it against the drawer that was next to the bed. It left dust marks on the drawer. Neither one of them said anything as Atreo shuffled towards the bed and putting the pillow on the bed.

"You know... It just hit me..." Grim made a noise of acknowledgment as he hopped off the chair and back up the bed. "Does this dorm have a shower? 'Cuz I sure as hell wouldn't want to have my hair dirty because of the dusty pillow." Grim put a paw up to his chin before shrugging. "I'm sure it does, surprised it has a washing and drying machine."

Ah, Grim did have a good point. Maybe there was a shower here after all. Might be just as old as the machines mentioned. Just thinking about it made Atreo scrunch up her face but didn't say anything. 

"Let's catch up on some z's yeah? After all, I'm super drained from today's events." Atreo murmured folding the ceremonial robe and putting it in the drawer next to the bed. Grim nodded went under the white thin blanket that covered the bed. 

Atreo followed his steps, took off her shoes, and got into the bed. Having a thin yet stretchy fabric cover her torso wasn't ideal to sleep in but she has no other clothing. _'Let's just hope whoever this Crewel person is, can make me some PJs.'_ Atreo thought, closing her eyes. "Night Grim," Atreo mumbled drifting off into dream world. Grim made a noise and fell asleep for the night.

* * *

Knocking woke Atreo up. Shifting around in the bed, she accidentally kicked Grim, making him yowl. Hearing the noise, Atreo immediately sat up in alarm before relaxing at the angered glare Grim was giving her. 

Atreo then looked outside. It was still dark out. "Wow when he meant early, he _really_ meant it," Atreo muttered then looked back at a sleepy Grim. "You can go ahead and go back to sleep if ya want," Atreo said softly, slowly getting up from the bed, stretching.

Putting back her shoes on, she shuffled out of the door, closing it slowly as to not wake up Grim again. She then went to the front door and opened it, rubbing one of her eyes with her left hand. She stopped and wondered when Crowley became hot. 

There stood a man with black and white hair, parted to the sides. Atreo was stunned and rubbed her eyes again to see if the guy was real. Atreo's jaw was slacking. _'Jade was pretty but this guy... this guy completely beats the competition!'_

"Woo-hoo Atreo!" Crowley said, popping out from behind the man Atreo was simping for. Startled by the Crowley jumpscare Atreo went backward for a bit but then tiredly glared at Crowley. "When you said early, I didn't think _this_ early," Atreo mumbled, voice cracking from just having been woken up.

Crowley chuckled, amused by how sassy Atreo was being in the morning. The man took a step forward and grabbed Atreo's attention. "Hello puppy, My name is Divus Crewel and I'll be the one who'll be making your clothes." He smiled at Atreo. Atreo had to squint her eyes like an old woman at the sudden light that seems to envelop him.

"Hi Mr. Crewel," Atreo mumbled before sticking her hand out to have a handshake with him. Crewel stared at her like she grew a second head. At that Atreo flushed from embarrassment and almost took her hand back when he gripped her hand firmly, shaking it. "It's nice to know _some_ people have manners," He smiled, eyes closed.

Atreo wanted to laugh at the obvious jab at the headmaster but she didn't have the energy to. "So Mr. Crewel, if you don't mind me asking and I apologize in advance if I sound rude but what are you doing here?" Translation: What are you doing here at a very worn, nasty, dusty dorm?

"Oh! I'm here to take some of your measurements for your clothing! I don't have time sadly since I'm a teacher," Atreo deflated at the position he was, "and I rather work on your clothing after school. For now, I brought some articles that would look rather baggy on you. Sorry puppy," Crewel finished with a genuine frown.

He gave her a bundle of clothes that he had on his other arm. It was just what one would consider a normal style. A white button-up short-sleeve shirt, a light blue sweater, and some black jeans. Clothes, clean clothes. Atreo bowed to Crewel, about to sob in happiness.

"Ah, don't worry I got you some undergarments. Apologies if they're too big on you. After I get your measurements I will make sure to correct them so they can fit you more snugly," Crewel said, handing her a medium bag with what she supposes, is women undergarments. 

This guy was a god. Atreo felt her lips tremble before thanking him, tears escaping from her eyes. Crewel patted her head and said that it was nothing. "I don't mind! I am a bit sad that you don't like wearing skirts but I won't ask either. As long as you can model some clothing for me, that's all I can ask of you." 

Atreo nodded. "As long as there are no skirts. Dresses, I'm on the fence. It'll have to be very much to my tastes to dress up in one." Atreo told him honestly. Crewel rubbed his chin in thought before agreeing. "Alright then, I still need to take your measurements. Shall we?” Crewel said, stepping inside the dorm.

Atreo felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. ”S - sorry if it's still a mess. I didn't get to properly clean with the right tools." "Which is why I am here!" Crowley said, having a broom with some cloths and bottles with cleaning liquids in a bag.

They all went to the living room. Crowley put the supplies on the cleanest surface there was. The couch. Soon, Crewel was taking Atreo's measurements and wrote them down on a piece of paper. "Well, I shall make my departure. Sleep well puppy, you're going to be needing it."

With that, Crewel walked out of the dormitory then started walking down the stairs. Crowley entered Atreo's visage. "School hasn't started yet, so you have more time to sleep. Good luck!" Crowley said before going down the steps more. Atreo closed the door, and walked back to the bedroom, putting the bag on the drawer.

Taking her shoes off once again, she dove back under the sheets, making sure she didn't wake up Grim and went back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC @ Crewel: He's a teacher?? He doesn't even look that old?? I,, Im gonna have an existential crisis,,
> 
> Grim: Hey shut up I'm sleeping here!!


	9. Chapter 8: School Time Refresher

Atreo mumbled a bit in her sleep. "Hee, hee, hee! Don't you two have to be up to clean the school?" Atreo pursed her lips, patting the drawer next to the bed out of habit. A crinkling noise made Atreo groan in laziness.

Slowly but surely, Atreo got up from the bed and ruffled her bed head. It was times like these where she's glad she got a short haircut. Guess getting a brush is part of the 'gotta get some money to get necessities' list.

Atreo pursed her dry lips, smacking them before getting up from the bed, swinging her legs over to the side of the bed. "Ehn... Mnyaaa... Five more minutes." Grim grumbled, curled into a ball at the end of the bed. Atreo rubbed her eyes, feeling the puffiness from all the crying she did lately.

She turned her head to the side and saw the ghosts cower over Grim's sleepy form. Atreo snorted quietly as she could before gently and slowly getting off the bed, walking on the cold floor barefoot. She went to the door and stood there. She wanted to see what would happen next.

"Laze about too long and you'll never wake up again." One of the ghosts cooed, grinning as he wiggled his fingers to emphasize what he was saying. "Just like us! Heeheehee!" The last one to say something replied. And just like that Grim opened his eyes and rubbed them.

Then it processed in his brain. "Ah!" Grim screamed, fell off the bed then pointed at them. "Gya!? It's those ghosts again! Hey you, wak-" Grim turned around. One way to describe Grim at that moment was that he might as well join the ghost trio at how pale he looked, not seeing the human there in the bed when he woke up.

Atreo snorted again, seeing Grim whip his head around to look to see who was laughing at him. His face went from shocked to fury in a second as he made his way towards Atreo. "Why were you just standing there?! What if the Great Grim needed a distraction for the ghosts?!" Ah, what a nice way to say, 'I'm scared so don't you ever leave my side.'

Atreo rolled her eyes before going back to the bed, or rather, the drawer next to it. She grabbed the bag and the contents in it. "Good prank guys," She said waving to the ghosts. "And actually I'm sorry if we attacked you yesterday, I was really having a bad day."

The ghosts made a noise of surprise, clearly not expecting the girl who handed them their ghosts' butts to apologize to them. "Ah no, it's fine young lady!" One of them said, waving their hands around to reassure her, seeing the guilty look come onto her face.

"Eheheh, If we had known you had a rough day we wouldn't have messed with ya," Another said, rubbing the back of their head. Atreo hummed, eyes flickering between the trio. "Do you guys have respective names?" Atreo asked.

The trio looked at each other as if thinking, did they ever have names? Sure they were ghosts for a while but was it that long that they simply have forgotten what their names were? Atreo couldn't help but feel sad for them. They must've been here for a while with no names to refer to each other as.

Eventually, they all shook their head, looking sad knowing that they had names they don't remember. "Would it be okay if I were to give you names? I hate having to call you ghost one, ghost two, and ghost three. Makes me feel like you're just objects rather than spirits." Atreo confessed.

Oh my, the way the ghost trio lit up. "We don't mind!" "Definitely not!" "As long as it's not a silly name like Mister," One of them joked. Atreo huffed through her nose, trying to have a poker face. She didn't want to laugh, not when her body felt sore, eyes puffy, and her hair a bees' nest.

"Okay, I'll start now if you don't mind?" "My my! What a polite young lady!" The skinny one praised her, while the other two agreed. "We haven't gotten exactly nice people as roomies ya know?" The chubby baritone one said. "They were never nice!" The one who joked about the Mister name said, crossing his arms in pettiness.

Atreo smiled a bit, seeing their interaction, and wondered how long did they know each other exactly. "Okay, big guy," The one with a deep voice looked at her, "It ain't exactly a muscular name but I feel like Moe fits ya pretty well." The chubby ghost, now named Moe, laughed, "It's fine Missus, I'm just glad I get a name ya know?"

Atreo nodded, totally getting what he was saying before her eyes went to the skinny one, who seemed to perk up. "Ya know... Did ya have a kid ever?" Atreo questioned. The skinny ghost shrugged. "I don't know exactly young lady, why do you ask?" He asked Atreo curiously. "Just that ya feel like a 'Pops' to me. Like a father figure." Atreo replied honestly. 

The skinny ghost smiled as best as he could. "I don't mind that name! Suits me pretty well I say!" "Alright then Pops," Atreo grinned. The skinny ghost, now named Pops laughed joyously. Atreo's eyes went to the last one who seemed curious about what his name would be.

"You... " Atreo trailed off. The ghost seemed to take this as a bad sign and sighed. "What are you sighing for?" Atreo said, confused while the average ghost looked depressed. "That you won't really have a name for me." He whined quietly. Atreo suddenly had a thought. She was going to make a reference and only hoped that the average ghost wouldn't find out.

"Do you like the name, Gus?" The average ghost seems to think before letting out a cheerful laugh as the others had. "It's perfect! Gus!" With that, the average ghost, now named Gus, went to his brethren and they all danced in a circle, cheering in happiness.

Atreo chuckled, eyes shining as she saw Moe, Pops, and Gus dance in a circle, happy that they had names they could refer to each other now. "Sorry to disturb your party, but is there a shower I could use? Rather, is there one in this dorm?" Atreo asked, wanting to use the restroom and to take a quick shower before she and Grim went out for the day.

The ghosts had all stopped and looked at each other before Pops spoke up. "There is one! It's upstairs though, we ain't sure if it really works? As ghosts, we can't use the shower." "Unless it's to prank someone!" Gus intervened, chuckling as he remembered pranking one of the old residents that lived here before the current tenant.

Moe laughed, nodding his head in agreement. Pops rolled his eyes before ushering Atreo (and Grim who decided to go along) to the stairs. Atreo gulped at the sight and prayed that it doesn't go out beneath her. Slowly she went up the stairs till she got to the top. Once she reached the top, she cheered loudly, throwing her arms up in the air.

The ghost trio laughed at her, knowing she was terrified of the stairs. Pops finished his last laugh, wiping at his eyes before taking deep breaths to stabilize himself. "In here young lady." He said, floating through the hallway. Atreo followed him.

Pops floated by a door, gesturing to Atreo that this was the bathroom. Atreo nodded her thanks and opened the door, going inside. Dirty, just like the rest of the dorm. She should've known. She went up the showerhead and rubbed it, trying to clear some holes for the water to go through.

Man, this place continues to surprise Atreo. Water came out as she turned the shower knob. What if it wasn't actually water? She'd have to think about that later. Shaking her head that was full of doubts, Atreo went back to the door and closed it. Then she began to undress and do her business in the shower. 

* * *

Coming out of the shower and being semi-squeaky clean, she put on the clothes that Mr. Crewel got for her. Hopefully, he can get/make her some casual clothes for the weekend or on days where she's not doing her job, being a handyman.

"Eh, I wish you guys had a brush or a comb even but I don't think ghosts have hair do they?" Atreo asked, running her hands through her wet hair, combing out small tangles on her long strands of hair. The ghost trio shook their heads. "Some ghosts do but not all," Moe said scratching his cheek.

"Oh well, I'll have to just get one later down the line." Atreo sighed, wringing her hair off of any leftover water. "Eh, hair seems like such a hassle," Grim said, sitting on Atreo's shoulder like a pet bird would to their owner. "It is, so ain't ya lucky huh?" Atreo sneered at Grim.

As they headed down the stairs, they heard knocking on the front door. Atreo froze before realizing something. _'SHIT, DOESN'T SCHOOL START AROUND THIS TIME? THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THE GHOSTS WOKE US UP FOR!'_ Atreo screamed in her head, panic filling her entire being.

Atreo immediately booked it down the stairs and slammed the front door open. There stood her new boss, looking amused at the sight. "Oh, that's what you were taking forever for! It is a pleasant change for you Ms. Atreo! You honestly look like you fit in this school if it weren't for your chest," Crowley said.

Atreo felt an imaginary arrow shoot through her chest, aiming for her heart. "G - geh," She made a noise as she shakily put a hand on Crowley's shoulder. "S - so mean," She croaked out. Even though she felt better and looked decent, he wasn't wrong. Atreo didn't have a big bust but didn't have a small one either so it was still a bit hard to cover it up.

_'No one is going to go up to me and inspect my chest, and if they found out I'm a girl oh well. It's not like I'm attending school here anyways.'_ Atreo thought to herself, putting her thinking face on, thumb and forefinger on her chin. She was broken out of her stupor by Crowley and Grim. 

"Alas, good morning you two!" Crowley said as if he was a proud parent whose child drew him a stick figure art from first grade. "Did you two sleep well?" The way he asked them, made Atreo wary of what he meant but then decided to answer although very sardonic and sarcastic.

Of course, Grim beat her to the punch. "I was sprawled out then fell out the bottom! Just how ramshackle did you let this place get?" Grim huffed while Atreo thought about the sentence he said last. She didn't realize but it sounded a lot like a dad joke now that she heard it and knowing the name plus definition of 'ramshackle.'

"It was the worst! The ghosts woke me up and I thought Atreo went missing but turns out Atreo was going along with it the entire time!" Grim complained to Crowley who seem to just nod, not caring whatever Grim said, and it showed as Crowley turned to Atreo for her answer to the question he asked earlier.

"Like a rock!" Atreo replied, sarcastic, and wearing a fake smile. Looks like Crowley caught on. "Even though you just got tossed from another world you can still be cheeky, wonderful!" Crowley clapped, making Atreo bow out of pettiness and mockingly. "I'm always cheeky sir Crowley." Atreo grinned.

Crowley hummed, "I came to speak to you about your work for today." Ah work, something Atreo was going to dread about. Her (old now) job didn't do this so why did she think it was the same? Then again being a night watch guard is completely different than being a janitor for school. Oh speaking of jobs...

"Hey teach. I know I'm probably not gonna get paid for this since I know it's a way to repay everything that you've done for me but is there any way or other little odd jobs I can do to get some money?" Atreo asked earnestly. 

"Hmm, why do you ask?" Crowley inquired. "Well, I just realize that I need to get some necessities, and to be quite honest, I don't want to slave away for the rest of my life when it comes to being indebted to you," Atreo answered truthfully. "That and I feel like you won't get me anything specific I need so I rather do it on my own."

Crowley pursed his lips, not sure how to answer that. "I don't really have any job for you that pays currency. I do know one but... it is quite shady and what you said just now, goes against what you said." Atreo looked at him in surprise. There's a job where you just slave away for the rest of your life? No thank you, no money will ever pay for the years she won't get back. 

"Apologies Ms. Atreo but I'm sure you'll be able to find a job that pays," Crowley looked at her in sympathy, making Atreo sigh in stress. She didn't want the headmaster to look at her in pity like that. Maybe she can ask Crewel for some supplies as the only she can do for him is model some clothing.

"Now shall we go to the lounge room to discuss our previous topic?" Crowley gestured as Atreo just remembered they were in by the door. She stepped to the side and let Crowley in. Soon they were all in the lounge room. Oh, she forgot that Crowley came in with Crewel with cleaning supplies.

"Today you are to clean the campus," Crowley initiated, "But the campus is quite large, cleaning it all without magic is impossible." Well at least he said it instead of herself, she would've been ruthless with him regardless of what his opinion was.

"So I'd like you to clean the main street to the main gate to the library. Understood?" Atreo nodded her head, already rummaging through the cleaning supplies in the bag. Thankfully sprays, and such were in the bag, making it easier to carry them around. 

Atreo flickered her gaze to Crowley. _'He didn't exactly say I couldn't leave some of the supplies here and come back for it when it comes to cleaning the gate.'_ Atreo thought, already trying to come up with a plan and how to act if Crowley were to catch her in the act of 'forgetting the supplies.'

"Another thing Ms. Atreo. Please watch Grim closely so he doesn't cause a scene like yesterday." Ah yes, it's unbelievable that everything that happened recently, was yesterday. Man, maybe Atreo should become a bear and hibernate during the winter where no one can bother her.

Coming back from zoning out by thinking of recent events, Atreo blinked. "Oh, uhm, I understand," Atreo said, nodding her head. Maybe Crowley wasn't as smart as Atreo thought. Crowley beamed at her, smiling as if he found a god from Greek Mythology. 

"I'm counting on you. Oh, you also have permission to have lunch in the school cafeteria. Take care of your work enthusiastically." And just like that, he felt quickly through the front door, leaving a dazed Atreo and a soon-to-complaining Grim.

"Tsk. No way I'm doing any cleaning! I wanna go to class and, bang! Boom, boom, boom! Use a bunch of awesome spells!" Grim griped, crossing his arms before waving his arms around to emphasize the sounds he made, eyes shining with excitement.

"For now, let's just do what we're supposed to do, and then maybe, if we have some extra time towards the end, we can visit the library," Atreo said with a minuscule smile. "I'm sure you can learn spells like that if you tried hard enough. After all, is it truly a magical school without spellbooks?" 

After Grim muttering to himself angrily, tail swishing around with mentioned emotion, Atreo grabbed the broom and crouched low enough for Grim to hop on her shoulder. "Let's just get it over with yeah?" "Sure sure whatever. You still haven't gotten me tuna ya know." Grim reminded Atreo who just sighed.

"Can't buy if I got no money Grim but I will try my hardest to. After all, we're in this together partner." Atreo grinned, though it looked a bit malicious, Grim knew better. Soon Grim found himself smiling happily with the wind blowing on his face as Atreo jogged her way to the main street with the broom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC: What should I call them??
> 
> MC: (sees ghosts)
> 
> MC: I'm so tempted to name them from the three stooges,,, no,, that's too mean,,


	10. Chapter 9: Encounter a Person

Heaving heavy breaths, Atreo finally managed to get to the main street. Main Street, where there weren't many people walking on. Thankfully this seems to be in Atreo's favor as she didn't want to be constantly stared at. Though that didn't happen. Already sticking out like a sore thumb due to her attire, Atreo sighed before sweeping away some leaves.

The students that walked by seem to stare at her, obviously enchanted and surprised there was a female at an all-boys school. At first, they just ignored her, deeming her as another student who but then saw the outfit, then truly saw her body shape and curves. 

They found out she was a female. Though some seem surprised that the female was tall. Sometimes Atreo would accidentally make eye contact with a few students. Most would shy away, walking a bit faster while others would try to make flirtatious facial expressions at her. 

Atreo just held a blank face, not caring though snickering internally that some of the students seem to have an existential crisis at the fact there was a female at the school grounds. Grinning to herself (looking a bit like a villain), Atreo hummed while she continued to sweep the leaves to the sides.

Atreo noticed something the moment she got on Main Street and that something was statues. Every once and a while, Atreo would stop sweeping, looking at the statues. She furrowed her eyebrows. They all looked familiar but every time she tried to remember, her head would begin to hurt badly.

Shrugging her shoulders, trying not to think about it, Grim piped up. "Uwah! Amazing! So this is Main Street!" Atreo couldn't help but be concerned. They were both here for a while and Grim was just _now_ noticing? _'I guess he thought we were somewhere else and not Main Street.'_ Atreo thought.

"I didn't get a good look yesterday but what's with these statues? All seven of them look pretty scary huh?" Oh no Grim, don't talk about the one thing Atreo didn't want to think about. She winced but just nodded her head, not wanting to talk about it.

"This granny looks especially snobby," Grim said, pointing to a statue who was holding a heart-shaped stick, or that's what it looked like to Atreo. Atreo stayed quiet. She wanted to ask Grim, 'Don't they all look snobby though?' but it wasn't her place to ask nor to disrespect one's culture that differed from hers. 

"You don't know about the Queen of Hearts?" A voice called out, making Atreo turn her head to look at whoever talked towards them. The first thing she noticed about the male was his crazy hair and then the heart at his eye. Atreo wonders, does he paint it on there, or is it like a birthmark? Guess we'll never know.

Looks like the heart guy was looking at her, blinked before his eyes went open, and then pointed at her accusingly. "Y - you're a girl?! I thought Night Raven College was an all-boys school!" This guy, Atreo can feel it, he was, and she quotes, 'a dumbass.' 

Atreo ignored the guy and just gestured to the statues, making the heart guy snap his focus somewhere else just as Grim asked, "Queen of Hearts? Is she important?" It was at times like these, that Atreo truly appreciated Grim just for existing. 

"Hmm? Oh yeah, she's pretty important. In the past, she was the queen who lived in the Rose Maze. She was someone who valued rules and discipline above all, strict in all things from the march of the Card Soldiers to the color of rose bushes." Heart guy explained thoroughly.

"It was a land of madness where all submit to her rule. Why, you ask?" The heart guy mocked, "Because or else it was off with your head!" He said, pointing his thumb towards his neck and moved it along. Ah, yes. A gesture Atreo was familiar with. 

Still, she winced as the guy said it seriously. "That's terrifying!" Grim said with wide eyes. It was as if Grim was in her head and was just blurting things out without her consent. _'Same, Grim, same.'_ Atreo cried internally.

"Eh, ya think so? I think it's cool! I like it. Nobody would listen to a queen who's just nice all the time, right?" Heart guy shrugged. "I suppose. A strong leader is better!" Grim agreed. Although Atreo kept a blank face, she felt it crack as she felt the corners of her mouth turn downwards at their words.

While the heart guy was right, there will be a time where the Rose Queen's subjects will revolt against her because of what she had done to others. And all for what, stupid rules? Atreo could feel her rebellious side pulse out, wanting to break a rule just to spite someone. Call her impulsive, but she's always been like that. Atreo didn't voice her thoughts, rather she continued to listen to Grim's and the newcomer's conversation.

"By the way, who are you?" Grim inquired, tail flickering in curiosity. _'Ah, a wise question Grim. After all, I would like to know the name of the person who had the guts to go up to us like we're old friends.'_ Atreo sneered in her head.

"Ah! I'm Ace, a fresh-faced first year. Nice to meet ya!" Ace greeted, smiling at them. Atreo couldn't help but be suspicious. All the other students just went past her, not even bothering her in the slightest yet this Ace guy talked to her. It was secretly a nice change of pace but Atreo will never admit it.

"I am Grim, a genius who'll become the greatest magician! The dimwit over here is Atreo. They're my henchmen." Grim said proudly as he introduced both Atreo and him to Ace. Ace looked at Atreo, remembering what he said earlier. "So a girl huh?" Ace grinned, eyes dancing with mirth.

Atreo frowned. "And? Does that really matter?" Ace was confused, and it showed on his face. "Does it truly matter, when I can probably kick your ass?" Atreo grinned, her eyes dancing with excitement at the possible throwdown she wanted to have with Ace. The feeling of thrill and adrenaline coursed through her.

Ace laughed, "Oh we have ourselves a little fighter!" Atreo couldn't help but chuckle. "Little? I'm literally like an inch or two taller than you." Ace pursed his lips into a pout, "Why are you so tall anyway?" Atreo shrugged, "Genes, don't get so jealous little heart," Atreo said in a teasing tone. "Let's go back to talking about the statues yeah?"

Ace hummed in agreement, "You've got an odd-sounding name. Your name sounds so foreign, exotic even." "Well nice to meet ya Ace, now can we go back? I need a bit of a refresher on these." Atreo pretended to know who they were and what they had done to gain respect and recognition. 

Grim looked at the statue that looked like a lion, "Hey, Ace, the lion over here with the scar, are they famous?" Grim questioned, tail moving lazily as his body was now laying down on Atreo's shoulder. The two humans walked towards the giant statue.

"Every statue here is important! Remember that. Anyway, this is the King of Beasts who rules the Savanna. However, he was not born to be king, but he took the throne through effort and elaborate planning. After becoming king, he even allowed the loathed hyenas to live in his kingdom without discrimination." Ace explained.

Although the King of Beasts was clever in a way it was kind of him to have hyenas live without discrimination. Atreo couldn't help the gut feeling that most of the statues were frowned up from her world whereas here, they were treated as if they were gods and such. 

"Oh, I guess he was a rock not held captive by his status!" Grim said with awe, obviously looking up to the lion. _'And he says he's not a cat. Each hour, minute, and second, I'm getting more and more convinced he is one, just different looking,'_ Atreo thought, looking at Grim with a confused look.

Grim then directed his attention to what looked like a half-octopus, half-woman hybrid. "Who's the lady with octopus legs?" Atreo's eyes immediately went to the legs before looking at the statue fully. _'I like her hair but I also love the fact that she's able to be so confident with her body type, or at least that's what it looks like here,'_ Atreo gazed at the statue.

"The Sea Witch who lives in a cavern in the deep. Her purpose was to help all unfortunate merfolk," Ace said, making Atreo snap her attention to him. She opened her mouth to ask the 'there's mermaids here?' question but thought for a bit then closed it. She would've sold herself out with that question that's for sure.

"As long as you could pay the price, she could transform you, help you find love, etcetera. If it was within her power, there wasn't anything she wouldn't do. They say her prices were pretty high, though. That's what it costs for 'anything,'" Ace continued, looking at the statue.

"Nya ha ha! So what you're saying is that I can get rich if I become a great magician!?" Grim shouted, basically on the moon and trying to make little plans on how he could get rich plus being a great magician that has tons of tuna on the side. Atreo pinched the bridge of her nose while clenching the broom in her right hand.

"Then, what about this man in the big hat?" Grim gestured. Atreo looked and honestly? He wasn't bad looking, not only that but this guy's eyelashes were longer than hers. If this guy were still available she would probably ask for tips on his eyelashes then never do it because low self-esteem be like that.

"The Sorcerer of the Sand. He was a cunning cabinet minister to a foolish sultan and saw through the fake prince that was actually a street rat trying to deceive the princess. Then he got a magic lamp and became the most powerful sorcerer of all!" Ace cheered, "With that power, they say, he became sultan."

"Ho-oh! So magicians need to be the center of attention!" Grim snickered, having little fantasies in his head while Atreo sighed. Ace heard this and looked at her. Atreo just gave him a tired smile. Even though she felt embarrassed that a person heard her, she's just too curious and tired to even let the emotion show.

Ace opened his mouth to ask her something if Grim hadn't interrupted. "Oooh! This lady sure is beautiful!" Atreo turned her head, then her entire body to gawk at the gorgeous statue. Grim wasn't wrong, at all. This woman was insanely beautiful. "Ah, she really is beautiful huh?" Atreo's cheeks flushed, embarrassed to look trashy compared to the pretty statue. Atreo suddenly froze when she felt Ace stare at her.

"You know... You didn't react like I had expected you to." Atreo was confused and looked at Ace for more answers. "What do you mean by that?" "Most girls kind of... dislike the Beautiful Queen for being, well beautiful, and yet I didn't see you glare at her... If anything you uh... " Ace trailed off, furrowing his eyebrows in thought.

Atreo just stared at the terracotta haired male. "Aight, I mean we're already acquaintances, right?" Atreo asked, ruffling the hair on the back of her head. Ace nodded though Atreo could see he hesitated. "I don't know what kind of place you live in for you to have such a closed-off mind but, I like anyone."

Ace furrowed his brows in confusion and Atreo could see the gears turning in his head. "When you say 'anyone' are you referring to all people?" Atreo pursed her lips, trying to think how to dumb it down for him. Back where she was from, this was known well enough that most people didn't question it anymore so now having to explain it to someone who didn't quite grasp the concept is going to be hard.

"Alright, ya know what? Here's a simpler explanation. If I like you, then I like you. You could be a girl, boy, god, mermaid or demon, I still would like you. However, I can still appreciate someone's looks and think they're handsome, pretty, beautiful, etcetera. Now, this Beautiful Queen, well, she's pretty as fuck." Atreo said, suddenly feeling vulnerable for saying information about herself to an acquaintance.

Ace didn't say anything but seems to understand her views a bit better now. If anything he just nodded in agreement and seem to smile a bit before continuing the information about the Beautiful Queen that Atreo was currently drooling a bit over.

"Anyways as I have previously mentioned, this is the Beautiful Queen. Every day, she checked the 'beauty ranking' in her magic mirror." Atreo winced a bit. Ah, so she was pretty vain. _'I mean you do you girl but not anyone will fall to your knees just because you look beautiful. Oh well, the moment lasted for a bit.'_ With those thoughts, Atreo stopped simping and straightened up her back.

"And when it looked like she might fall from the number one spot, she never hesitated to do anything to get it back. I guess she had the strong will to remain the most beautiful in the world? So impressive. They say she was even adept at making poisons." Ace finished, rubbing his chin in thought.

"She's pretty but no thanks," Grim said, now sitting on his hind legs, now on top of Atreo's head, and put his paws up in defense. _'Ah, so the legends are true. Pretty people can be the most dangerous, take a mental note next time I see someone pretty.'_ Atreo reminded herself.

"You think? But it's cool that she has something she'll never give up." Ace voiced his opinion out. "I agree," Atreo spoke out, "It's pretty impressive that she never gave up on something. Ah, if I only had that dedication... " Atreo trailed off while Grim finished for her, "S - sure, that single-minded drive is pretty cool."

"Over there, what's the guy on fire? Just looking at him gives me goosebumps." Atreo hummed as they all went in front of each statue. The next statue had what looked like a confident guy as he had the fire on his fingertip. _'This guy looks like a tired single father,'_ Atreo thought with amusement, _'Oh dude, he has fire for hair? Wonder how he washes it or just let it burn away the smell... ?'_

"He's the Lord of the Underworld! He rules a land crawling with evil spirit on his own. No doubt he is extremely skilled. Even though he's got a scary face, he did that detestable job without ever taking a vacation and his sincerity won over Cerberus, the Hydra, even the Titans, to fight for him." Ace presented.

_'This sounds a bit like Greek Mythology, especially what he listed towards the end. Was this guy Hades? I don't think Hades had blue flaming hair though. Ace did say he is the lord of the underworld.'_ Atreo theorized in her head and made a thinking face. 

Guess she was too caught up in her thoughts because when she came back too, Ace was waving his hand in front of her face. Atreo blinked. Seems like Grim has a knack for interrupting Ace and future Atreo would laugh at the fact. "Hmmm, Hmmm. So having talent doesn't mean you get to be haughty," Grim said, nodding his head like he was an old wise man.

"And the last one? The one with the horns?" Grim pointed, his paw finger(?) pointing at the next and last statue. Atreo saw this and immediately slapped his paw away, scolding him. "Don't point it's rude." "Eh but it's just a statue," Grim pouted, rolling his blue eyes while Atreo 'tched' at his nonexistent mannerisms.

"That is the Witch of Thorns from the Magic Mountains. Noble and elegant, even within the Seven, she is top class in magic and curses!" Ah, there goes Atreo, simping over the fact that this woman was and is, incredibly smart. _'Gotta get me a significant other who can destroy me in mathematics,_ 'Atreo mourned silently.

"She can summon lightning and storms, cover an entire country in thorns, her magic is on a whole other level. There was even a time she transformed into a huge dragon!" Ace concluded while Atreo had to keep her simping in check. _'Dude she sounds so badass I want to meet her and just be like, she can stomp on me and I would thank her,'_ Atreo's mind was a mess.

"Oooh! A dragon! All monsters look up to them!" Grim grinned, eyes sparkling with, what seems like respect and such. Atreo trained her focus on Grim and asked him out of curiosity. "Does that mean _you_ look up to them? You're a monster are you not?" Atreo rose a questioning eyebrow. 

Before Grim could respond to her question, karma struck back as Ace was the one who interrupted Grim. "They're all so cool! Unlike a certain raccoon," Ace suddenly grinned with a hint of maliciousness in it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC: oh new person! maybe a new friend?
> 
> Ace: sike
> 
> MC: see this is why I have trust issues.


	11. Chapter 10: Cheeky Mates

Oh boy, he did not just go there. Atreo looked at Grim who was perched on her shoulder. Grim's jaw hung in shock before his mouth closed up and his eyes narrowed at Ace who now had a mocking grin on his face. "What did you say?" Grim growled lowly.

"Oh, not only you aren't a cool raccoon but a dumb one too? Who knew." Ace said, shaking his head in fake disappointment. "But I'll say it again for your dumb little brain. These guys are cool," Ace gestured at the statues then pointed at Grim, "Unlike a cer - tain rac - coon." Ace mocked, dragging out syllables and such.

"Gnah?!" Grim's shocked face came back, making Atreo think that he _actually_ didn't hear what Ace said before. This triggered the events that made the future difficult for both Grim and Atreo.

"Pfft! Ahaha! I can't bear it anymore!" Ace laughed as if he was told a very good joke. "Aren't you the guys who went crazy at the entrance ceremony?" Both Atreo and Grim stiffened up by his question and before they could reply, Ace continued.

"You were summoned by the Dark Mirror even though you can't use magic, and you, a monster, weren't called but still trespassed." Atreo didn't know what emotion Grim was feeling as she was currently focusing on her own. Hurt for a couple of seconds as she thought Ace wasn't a bad guy and believed they could've been friends, then anger followed right after. How dare this guy look down on her. Sure she doesn't have magic like everyone but damn, she's still a human.

"Yeah, it took everything I had not to lose it at the ceremony." Ace toned his laughter down to a chuckle as he wiped an imaginary tear away from his face. Seeing this action made Atreo clench her fists, broom sideways. _'Don't punch him, he's not worth it.'_ Atreo tried to reassure herself.

"Wha!? You're a rude one!" Grim exclaimed, glaring at Ace who didn't even react to what Grim said. If anything he continued to provoke them. "Now you aren't allowed in and got regulated to be a janitor? Haha, how lame." Ace sing-songed as he started to walk away from the bitter two. "Nyagh!" Grim voiced out, anger started to flow out of him like water. Not that Atreo was any better, she was trying hard not to kick Ace's ass.

"On top of that, you don't even know about the Great Seven. How ignorant can you be?" Ace turned back around, put his palms up, and mockingly shook his head side to side. "As I recommend you go back to kindergarten before coming to Night Raven College." Ace laughed once more, making Grim growl at him.

"Ah. At this rate... " Was all Atreo could say, trying to keep her anger inside. "I thought I'd just mess with you a bit, but you _really_ blew my expectations away." Ace grinned. "Unlike you two, I actually have classes to attend. Keep this school squeaky clean, you two!~" Ace mocked, waving his hand in the 'goodbye' gesture then walked away.

Although Atreo was trying to keep her anger in check, she knew and felt the anger rolling off of Grim. He exploded as expected. "This jerk! He's just gonna say that and leave!? I'm pissed off!" Almost as if Atreo was psychic and could tell the future, she tried to calm Grim down to the best of her abilities.

"H - hey let's not act rash. We still got to clean and do other stuff, like the library remember?" At that moment, she truly realized just how stubborn Grim could be. His ears flickered and would go to the side. Now Atreo had some pets, including cats so she wasn't all that oblivious to his body language. Being ignored by a _cat_ fueled Atreo's anger.

Suddenly all hell broke loose. "Fnngah!" Grim vocalized before summoning fire towards Ace, making Atreo gasp before grabbing Grim by the scruff and off her shoulder. Sure the guy pissed her off but this wasn't the way to go! She wanted to at least punch the guy first before he was grilled to death!

Ace jumped back when he felt the flames lick at his feet and turned around. "Woah! Hey! What do ya think you're doing?!" The shock was evident in his features. Grim cackled, sounding like a villain and Atreo just had to wonder, does she sound like that? She had a feeling she did but shrugged off the thought and looked at the current situation.

The shock wore off of Ace's face then annoyance replaced it. "Fire-head, huh?" Ace inquired, tone a bit harsh. "Eeeeh, you've got guts picking a fight with me." At first, Atreo thought Ace was talking about Grim but the next sentence infuriated her. "You too, cat! I'll turn you into a puffy, little toy-poodle!" 

Before Grim or Ace could retaliate to each other, Atreo marched up to the Ace, pulling up her sleeves which was a strong indicator that she was going to be swinging fists. She did just that. She punched Ace so hard, her knuckles were super red and hurting. Ace was sent to the ground.

"Eh? I have guts you said? I didn't do anything ya fuckin' prick," Atreo growled lowly, grabbing his collar and bring his face close to hers. Ace's cheeks gained a red tint to them, none of them bringing up that fact. Ace scowled as his face was punched by the taller female.

"Well ya did now," He said shoving her away harshly, making Atreo stumble to the ground while Grim hissed at him. "How dare you take out my henchman!" Grim yowled before getting off of Atreo's shoulder and ran on all fours towards Ace. "Fngah!" Grim summoned fire towards Ace who was still down.

Ace got up clumsily, grinning with a smug face. "Uh - oh, gotta watch out. Take that!" Suddenly a gust of wind pushed the flames away, back to the original owner who had managed to run away just in time. "This guy is blowing wind all over the place! My fire is getting all twisted up!" Grim cried out, somehow even angrier at that fact.

A crowd had formed. "What's happening? A fight?" "Yeah! Get 'em!" Random students yelled out. Atreo winced at both the yelling and at the bleeding scraps she got on her elbows. Still pissed at earlier events, Atreo whipped her head to the side to glare at some random students. "Don't egg them on idiots!" She seethed out. Some of them flinched and stopped yelling while others rolled their eyes and continued to chant.

"A flimsy little fire like that won't hit me." Ace taunted Grim who yowled loudly, throwing his hands up in the air. "What?! You'd better get ready then!" Grim sneered as the battle between air and fire continued. Atreo clicked her tongue in disappointment and attempted to get up but hissed in pain when she felt her injuries on her palms. 

A hand was presented to her, and she grabbed it, holding her in little noises of pain. Abruptly whoever this was, yanked her arm a little too roughly, making Atreo growl like a wild animal. "Ah sorry. I just forget my strength at times." She looked up and saw a guy with silver hair. His eyes were pretty. It was like someone had mixed blue with silver and it produced the color that was his eyes.

Atreo blinked. What's with these handsome guys? Whatever, she should stop complaining. "Nah you're fine. My hands just hurt is all." She shrugged, showing him her scratched up elbows and hands. The silver-haired boy frowned at them but then sighed as if he was using to seeing such a sight. "I see. You should go to the infirmary when you can then." 

Atreo nodded dumbly, and glared at her hands, cursing out Ace in her head. _'If I ever get my hands on him, I'm going to end his career.'_ Then she felt a head pat on her head, making her blink once again, this time in confusion. She glanced back up and saw the silver-haired boy patting her head. "I'm sure things will get better. I must take my leave, I have important duties to attend to." And just like that, the mysterious silver guy was gone.

Atreo pouted in disappointment as so far, he was probably the only one who didn't indirectly threaten her, has tried to kill her, or be completely two-faced then try to fight her and her talking fire summoning cat. _'Life just doesn't want me to be happy huh?'_ Atreo would've started to zone out if it weren't for Grim's yell.

"Eat that!" Grim said, summoning more fire. Atreo suddenly felt her anger flash away as concern took place. Didn't Grim get insanely tired last time he kept summoning fire? Before she could charge back into the battlefield, Ace suddenly changed the direction of the fire with the wind spells he's been casting. "And I just change the trajectory with the wind like that!"

Ah, Atreo could already see her life flash before her eyes. Seem's like the other students felt the same as the crowd suddenly dispersed at the sight of the charred burnt statue of the Queen of Hearts. _'Well, living was fun while it lasted,'_ Atreo sobbed internally.

"AH! Crap! The Queen of Hearts' statue is charred!" Ace yelled while putting his palms up to his temples as it truly hit him, that he had indeed fucked up. Grim snarled, "It's because you're blowing the fire around! Just let me fry you!" "You _really_ think someone is just gonna let you fry them?" Ace mocked, yet one could see the sweat form around his face, especially at the temples.

"Enough! Just what is going on here!?' Crowley entered then gasped loudly at the sight of a burnt statue that is part of The Great Seven. Atreo flinched at the gasp, then flickered her eyes around to find a route to escape from Crowley's wrath. Atreo's eyes went to Crowley and saw something familiar in his hand, making Atreo shuffle away as best as she could. The idiot duo continued to argue till they heard the headmaster's yell.

"Guh! Headmaster!" Ace exclaimed in horror seeing the principal of the school there, looking at him in anger. Grim looked down to see a familiar whip in his hand. "Ack! He's going to tie us up with the 'Lash of Love'! Run for it!" Grim yelped, getting on all fours to run away as he could.

Hearing and seeing Grim run away from him, Crowley lifted up said whip. He then whipped both Ace and Grim. "Ow!" Ace whined, rubbing the body part Crowley whipped him. "Fngah! Hurts just as much the second day in a row!" Grim dramatically sobbed while rubbing his behind. Atreo felt bad but she was so glad she wasn't near them to get whipped like that.

"This is my Lash of Love! It'll be another hundred years before you can outrun me! I told you just yesterday to not cause any trouble, didn't I?" Crowley angrily as he grabbed Grim by the scruff of his neck, Grim just dangling there awkwardly. "Not only that, you go and char one of the statues of the Great Seven!"

Crowley turned his head towards Ace plus Atreo who shuffled back into the picture feeling guilty and accepting punishment. "And you! Don't you think of anything else other than just wind spells?! I very much would like to see you expelled." Crowley scowled at him, making Ace flinch. "Wait! Not that! Anything but that!" Ace begged.

Crowley looked at Atreo, disappointment radiating off of his overall being. Atreo inhaled sharply before making the 'go on' gesture, telling him that she can take the hit. "And you, this is _not_ how you supervise Grim." Atreo exhaled, feeling guilty for making someone that has been nice to her, support her, and provided necessities for her, disappointed in her.

"They more or less stopped," Atreo murmured to herself. Crowley pinched the bridge of his bird mask. "My goodness. You, what's your grade and name?" Crowley said, looking at Ace who gulped in nervousness. "Ace Trappola, first year." Ace stated, straightening himself up.

"Then Ace, Grim, and Atreo, you three will be cleaning a hundred windows around campus as your punishment," Crowley stated, glaring at the trio. "Nya!? It's all cause this joker was making fun of us!" Grim angrily gazed at Ace who returned the look but then looked at the headmaster, silently begging. "Eh?! Me too?!" Ace whined.

"Most definitely! After school, meet in the cafeteria, understood?" Crowley commanded, yellow orbs narrowed at the trio. "Fine." Ace grumbled while Grim pouted in pettiness. "Nothing but misery since yesterday!" Grim wailed. 

Atreo stared at the two, not sure how to feel before nodding to the headmaster. "I understand." "Good, now go to class Mr. Trappola. You two, continue cleaning and clean up the statue while you're at it." Crowley appointed. All three of them nodded, some looking pretty distraught, and dispersed their separate ways.

* * *

Silver walked through the hallway, looking like he had nothing disturbing him. In reality, he did have some thoughts but not enough for him to make a facial expression. Going into his loud homeroom, he sat down, putting his arms down to place his head on for a quick nap.

Or so that was the plan. Kalim came running into the loud classroom and saw that there was only one seat left right next to Silver. Kalim brightened up at the thought of a possible new acquaintance or friend.

Kalim fast-walked towards the seat and sat down, beaming happily at Silver who now had his head down. Kalim quietly poked the man, wondering if he was alive or just asleep. Silver groaned in protest at the poke and looked up, eyes narrowed before realizing that it was Kalim, a dorm leader.

With that thought process, Silver straightened his back up a little bit and softened his narrowed eyes into a more blank neutral look. "Hi!" Kalim greeted enthusiastically. Silver blinked his eyes slowly before nodding, "Hello Scarabia dorm leader." Kalim pouted. "Eh is that what you know me as? I mean, you're not wrong but still!~" Kalim whined.

Silver sweatdropped figuratively before sighing. "Then is it okay if I were to refer to you with your name instead of a title?" "Of course!" Kalim's smile widen. "If anything, I prefer it that way!" "Ah, I'll make a mental note to remember that then." Silver said sincerely.

The classroom only seems to get louder and one topic that was thrown around quite often was the fight that had happened earlier. The topic made Silver furrow his eyebrows in annoyance. "They talk as if they're the ones in the fight." Silver muttered to himself.

"Oh did you see it uh... " Kalim trailed off, realizing that he didn't know the silver-haired boy's name. "Silver," Silver replied with his name. "So did ya see it Silver?" Kalim asked, curious to the point he was a bit in Silver's personal space. Silver leaned away.

"I did, sort of. I wasn't really paying attention till the magicless student fell. I helped her back up on her feet." Silver stated. "Ah, I see." Kalim nodded, glad Silver made a good decision before his mind caught up to what Silver said. Kalim's brain had to process the sentence Silver just told him.

"WAIT!" Kalim wailed before slamming his hands down, gaining not only Silver's startled attention but some of the room. "Her?!" Kalim gaped while Silver told him to tone it down politely. Kalim immediately whispered yelled at Silver. "What do you mean her?!" He whispered feverishly.

Silver sighed and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "The magicless student is female. What else do you not exactly understand?" Silver said softly, annoyance tittering on the edge of his voice. Kalim.exe stopped working. Kalim blinked several times, no noise coming out of him. Silver peeked at him, concerned. He had a feeling Kalim wasn't a quiet person.

"... Kalim?" Silver said, concern flashing in his eyes yet the current emotion didn't represent itself on his face. Kalim finally responded with a noise Silver could only describe as a bird trying to feed its babies. "Kalim are you okay?" Silver said, putting a hand on Kalim's shoulder and gently shook it.

Suddenly Kalim's face erupted into red, just like his eyes. Silver blinked, not sure what to make of the current situation till Kalim robotically looked at Silver, face in what seemed like guiltiness yet in a way happiness? "Uhm... " Silver uttered out, now disturbed by Kalim's state.

"S - Silver... " Kalim croaked out. "Y - yes?" Silver said, feeling like he should bolt out of there any second. "D - Did you ever catch h - her name? I... I have to apologize for something." Ah, that's what it was. Silver relaxed and shook his head. "No I didn't catch her name but perhaps maybe you can check out the infirmary? I told her to go there to check up on her scrapped wounds."

Kalim's jack slackened. "She was hurt?" He asked quietly as Silver nodded to confirm Kalim's inquiry. "Then I'll check during lunch!" Kalim exclaimed, mind running with apologies and ways to approach her. Silver chuckled quietly, seeing Kalim concentrate on something that didn't benefit him in any way. 

_'How admirable. If only most people think like you do Scarabia dorm leader,'_ Silver thought to himself as the teacher entered the classroom and quieted down the class so they can start the lessons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC @ Silver: He was like prince charming but if prince charming looked like he murdered someone.
> 
> Ace & Grim: is now really the time?? 
> 
> \------
> 
> Silver @ Kalim: This guy,,, what did he do for his face to look like a tomato?? I bet he did something to her
> 
> Kalim's mind: O H MY G O D, I FUCKED U P,, she's gonna think I'm like some sort of loser,, and I didn't even get to have a real conversation with her,, ple ase,,


	12. Chapter 11: Hundred Broken Windows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not @ me just barely doing the prologue chapters then wanting to make a new story with the octavinelle trio (covers face with one had
> 
> god I'm such simp
> 
> Also Happy Christmas Eve, + Happy Christmas and other holiday celebrations you, celebrate!!

Grim made a purring content noise as he kept himself perched on Atreo's shoulder. They were walking towards the cafeteria to eat. "Ah, I can't wait to eat!~" Grim yapped in happiness as his tail swished around in said emotion. Atreo sighed, trying not to overthink it.

"I know Crowley said we could have lunch for the cafeteria but what if we need money to get some?" Grim's happy mood instantly went down, even his tail went down to show his obvious emotion. "Eh, I didn't think about that... " Grim whined, laying down on her shoulder now instead of sitting.

"Well, we won't know till we try right...?" Atreo said, trying to reassure herself and Grim as they went to the cafeteria. Upon entering the cafeteria, loud chatter could be heard in every direction. All of the sudden, Atreo felt _very_ self-conscious about sticking out like a sore thumb with her light blue sweater. 

As Atreo walked to get in the line, she felt eyes watching her. Atreo gulped as her anxiety started to rise, her body heating up and her palms getting sweaty. Where she was focused on her anxiety, she accidentally bumped into a figure that was smaller than her. Said figure fell on the floor and grunted.

"S - sorry," Atreo mumbled out an apology while offering her hand to the stranger. Taking a look at the stranger, Atreo locked her eyes on a pair of fluffy ears that twitched at the sound of her apology. "Nah it's fine," the stranger said. Atreo eyes finally unlocked her eyes and away from the ears, she looked at the stranger who was now staring up at her in shock.

"Oh! I'm pretty sure that girls don't attend here...?" It sounded like it was a question towards himself and not the female in question. Atreo stayed quiet as she had a feeling that most people she's gonna meet, is probably going to ask her or say something about her gender.

The stranger put his hand on her's, making Atreo hiss. _'Ah shit, I forgot the injuries.'_ The guy with ears on his head, pulled his hand back, panic evident on his features. "S - sorry! Did I hurt you? I mean, I guess I can be a heavy guy," The guy joked, noticing the height difference. Not that he was smaller, he was just two or three inches shorter. 

Atreo blinked before a small laugh escaped her. "Sorry, it's not your fault at all. Shall we go somewhere to continue this conversation?" Atreo suggested softly. "I kinda don't want to be stared at like I'm a piece of meat," She said truthfully. The guy with light brown hair (plus ears) and gray blue-ish eyes just shrugged before getting up himself.

"Lemme get some food and then we can go somewhere," At this Atreo perked up, "Oh uhm, speaking of food, do you have to pay for it, or is it free?" The male hummed. "I'm pretty sure it's free but that's if you're a student and by the look of your attire... I don't think you can get any," He frowned, ears twitching.

Hearing this new information made Atreo frown then sigh as she can hear Grim start to complain about it. "What?! Then why would the headmaster tell us yet knew that we're just a 'handyman'!" Grim mocked, angry that he wasn't gonna get any food. Seeing this made the male put on a thinking face before walking off to the line.

Atreo froze before withering on the inside. Seeing an empty table that no one was sitting on, Atreo quickly sat down, fiddling with her fingers. Five minutes went by and Atreo began to overthink. She quickly stood up, making Grim cling to her and complaining about her moving too fast.

Right as she was going to leave, she felt a tug on her sweater, making her look at whoever tugged the sleeve. It was the male from before, holding a tray of food with one hand, and the other used to tug at her overwear. "Sorry I tried to be fast with the food. Let's go to the courtyard yeah? Most people don't go there."

Atreo blinked, shocked that the male came back before nodding in agreement. Soon they were at the courtyard and ended up sitting on a bench that was near the apple tree that Atreo remembered. Her eyes lit up and attempted to grab an apple if it weren't for the male with ears that stopped her.

"Hey, are you that hungry that you want to eat an apple when I got some extra food for you and familiar?" The guy laughed, putting his hand up to his mouth. His laugh sounded weird like a hyena almost but Atreo has _some_ manners. Speaking of manners, Atreo flushed red and sat back down on the bench. "I didn't think you'd get food for us strangers... "

"Hmm I normally wouldn't but... " The male tossed up a pear he got as the fruit side for the tray of food he brought outside. "You seemed kinda stressed." He finished, tossing Atreo the pear to which she caught clumsily. "Thanks." She could feel her cheeks pull into a small smile. 

Grim stared down at the male, suspicious of what the male's intentions are. "Hey, I know my henchman is pretty nice at times but if you're using her for something else I won't hesitate to claw your eyes out," Grim threatened, growling lowly. 

The male seemed to have a party with that, as he laughed, his laugh consisting of 'shishishi'. "You? I doubt it!" Before Grim could pick a fight, Atreo flicked his nose, making Grim go 'ouch!' and cover his nose while glaring at Atreo. "Don't talk Grim, this guy is giving _us_ food. You should appreciate that more since right now, we literally don't have _any._ " Atreo hissed out darkly.

Atreo turned to the male who seemed stunned at her scolding towards Grim. "Sorry about that. I didn't get your name?" At this, the male was struck out of his stupor and introduced himself. "Ruggie, names Ruggie." Atreo stuck out her hand for a handshake. "Atreo." They both shook hands while Grim was now munching on the pear bitterly.

"Eh I probably sound rude but your name is very manly sounding don't ya think?" Ruggie said, giving Atreo a little bowl of soup with some crackers. Although she noticed that Ruggie was keeping the majority of the food to himself, she wasn't going to say anything. Not when Ruggie is giving food that she couldn't get.

"Oh yeah it kinda is but it doesn't bother me you know? It's my name so I'll wear it with pride." Atreo said, puffing her chest out as an example. "That and although my gender isn't correlated with my name, I feel like it's a very strong name like I can do anything," Atreo said as Ruggie began to eat.

"Hey, Ruggie?" Atreo murmured while Ruggie was munching on some of the food he got, though Atreo noticed he would put something like crackers, in his pocket. Ruggie gave a muffled hum in response. "What animal are you?" Atreo chose a safe question. Her actual question was, 'what are you?' but she felt like that might be too insensitive. 

At this Ruggie's ears twitched in response before he looked at her, gulping down the food he stuffed his cheeks with. "Hyena." His tone was flat as he gauged her reaction. Atreo stared. This went on for a while before Atreo cracked a smile. "That's pretty cool." Ruggie felt his ears twitch in happiness though Atreo didn't know that.

Before Ruggie could ask another question about the female's response the bell rang. Both looked at each other then they both got up and stretched. Having something in his stomach, Grim took a quick nap on top of Atreo's shoulder. 

Atreo turned to Ruggie. "Have a nice day Ruggie, thanks for the food!" She smiled at him, patting his head gently before fast-walking off to the infirmary since lunch ended and people wouldn't be there.

Ruggie stared as she left. He hadn't realized it but his tag flicked every once and a while at the head pat. Ruggie didn't say anything before shrugging and turning around to head to class. "She's totally gonna get taken advantaged of." He murmured to himself.

* * *

Cleaning finished, Atreo waited in the cafeteria with Grim for Ace once classes were over. Some stray students lingered here and there. For a split moment, Atreo thought she saw Jade but unless Jade had his hair flipped to the side and dressed... differently then sure, she saw 'Jade'. Her gut feeling told her that wasn't the case and tried to avoid staring at the Jade look alike.

She tried her hardest not to stare, her brain screaming danger at the sight of 'Jade'. Something did seem off with him but Atreo didn't have the guts to go up to 'Jade' and see what was wrong. Thankfully seems like 'Jade' had something to attend to, although his expression went from annoyance to just straight-up boredom. _'What a quick mood change,'_ Atreo observed. 

_'The only logical thing to think is either Jade had a twin this entire time or this was a doppelganger and Jade is going to die if he saw himself.'_ Atreo thought to herself while Grim started to complain. Thankfully by the time, Grim started to talk was when the cafeteria was empty. 

"I'm already beat from cleaning all day. Now we have to wash a hundred windows, too." Grim whined while Atreo stared at him with dead-looking eyes but didn't say anything. We all know what's she thinking and that involves wanting to kick Grim's tiny hiney. 

"We've got no choice. After all, we all had a part in the statue incident." _'Well, all I did was punch Ace so did I really have a part in it? As much as I want to say no,'_ Atreo looked at Grim who was just on the table laying down on his back, _'Someone will throw a fit.'_

Fifteen minutes went by. "That Ace guy is sure taking his sweet time! Who does he think he is, making me wait?! I'm ticked off!" Atreo realized that Grim was right. She looked outside and saw that it was still day out but soon eventually the sun would be setting. "Maybe he has some tutoring?" 

Grim pouted, "Tutoring lasts for fifteen minutes?" Atreo shrugged. "Yeah, depends on how dumb you are though. My twin was usually stuck in tutoring because he didn't get history." Grim perked up. "You know, I don't think you've talked about your family before! While we wait for Ace we can talk more about it!" 

Atreo's eyes went wide before humming, thinking to share some facts about her family. "Well, I have a step-father and a mother. My step-father likes to wield stuff while my mother taught some culinary in my highschool. Then there's my twin and me. We're the same age but he's a bit shorter than me, like maybe 5'7? It's been a while since we measured our heights but he's not that short. He sucks at history while I was really good at it." Atreo said.

Grim's eyes sparkled like he was being told a storytime. "Then I have a younger sister and brother. My sister is about 8 while my youngest brother is 6." Atreo stated with a wistful smile on her face. Grim caught the sad yet longing smile and frowned, ears pinning down. "Do you miss them?" "Of course, what kind of question is that?" Atreo huffed.

"What about you Grim? Got any family?" Grim frowned deeper and shook his head. "If I do, I don't exactly remember them..." Silence ensued after that. Atreo didn't know what to say. None of them didn't say anything just stared out the window. At that point, thirty minutes went by.

Grim, already soured by the family question, burst out in irritation. "NGAH! I don't care what happened, there is no way he's _this_ late!" Grim huffed out, tail swishing around in annoyance then Grim's eyes widen as whipped his head towards Atreo, who was already looking at him due to his outburst.

"Wait, he wouldn't just skip out, right?!" Atreo's eyes went wide as well before grunting in frustration. "I'd fucking believe it. Let's go get his ass." Atreo said, hands turning into fists while Grim happily cheered for angry Atreo (which he now dubbed as AA mode). Grim quickly climbed on her head as Atreo walked towards classrooms.

"I'm not gonna let that guy get away with putting all the punishment on us! Let's go henchmen! We're gonna catch Ace and make him do all the window washing!" Grim yelled as they walked in the hallways. Atreo nodded in agreement, eyes narrowed in displeasure. Soon they went into classrooms, seeing no Ace in any of them. 

Atreo massaged her temples in stress while they went into what felt like the last one but knew there were far more classrooms considering how big the school is. "Ora! Where's Ace?! We're not gonna let you hide away!" Grim yelled out, before sighing. "It's all empty and there's no one here, not even teachers."

"No, I am here." Atreo whipped her head to look where the voice was coming from and to her surprise, it was a portrait of someone. It even blinked at her making Atreo shudder as all those creepy moments in horror movies flashed in her head. Seems like Grim agrees. "FYAH?! The picture talked?!" 

Perhaps feeling offended, the portrait started explaining. "What now? It's not uncommon for paintings to talk at this school. The wall lady over there, the wall gentleman over here, everyone can speak. Portraits can speak because they have a mouth. That's normal, you know?" The painting(?) narrowed their eyes at Grim who whimpered at the sight.

Although frightened, Atreo was fascinated as her mind tried to explain the science behind that. "Normally paintings don't speak. Are you perhaps acquainted with ghosts in general?" Atreo said, leaning towards the painting in interest. 

The painting blinked. "Oh, my apologies I didn't realize you were a young lady." Atreo shrugged it off, getting desensitized to it. "It's fine, after all my arrival here is simply a mistake. Once the headmaster will find a way for me to go home, I'll be able to see my family again." The painting stayed quiet just by the mention of the headmaster.

"I see. To answer your question young lady, rather than restlessly floating in the air, I've been sitting still on this wall perfectly for more than fifty years. Your 'normal' and my 'normal' differ in regards to our quirks. Isn't that true? That aside, who are you looking for?" The painting asked. 

Grim and Atreo looked at each other, looking as if they were communicating telepathically. They looked back at the painting. "A guy named Ace. He's got a heart mark on his face and hair that sticks up." Grim described Ace to the best of his ability. Atreo's glad Grim described him and not her. She probably would've gotten a scolding from the painting herself with the words she'd use to describe Ace.

"Ah, I know him. He's one of the freshmen that started today. He went back to his dorm not too long ago." Atreo furrowed her brows. "Uhm... where is that at again?" The painting blinked before sighing. "New students need to get a better memory nowadays. The room is called the 'Hall of Mirrors.' Entering those mirrors, you end up at the dorm(s) you were chosen to go to."

Atreo knew the painting was being nice and telling her about the room itself but the last bit of the painting's sentence made her heart hurt. It was like a constant reminder that she truly didn't fit in, even if she did have magic or not. Just being a female would change everything but having the nonmagic added to it... 

"Thank you." Atreo bowed lowly so the painting wouldn't see glossy eyes and tears that she refused to have them fall. Perhaps Grim could sense her emotional turmoil as he spoke up instead.

"Wah?! So he did try to get away! Which way did he go?! Where is the room located?!" Grim yelped loudly, having the sudden urge to leave as quickly as they could. 

"The entrance to the room is behind the east building," The painting replied calmly. Still in the bowing position, Atreo's frame shook with mixed emotions consisting of anger and sadness. Grim thumped his paws on her head. "Hey! We gotta go after him! ... Then you can cry it out after you beat him up," Grim whispered. Atreo's being shook with silent laughter at that before standing up straight.

"You're right. I still gotta beat him up." Atreo smiled, showing her teeth before zooming out of the classroom and running to the destination where the Hall of Mirrors was at.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC: Ruggie is my god now
> 
> Grim: I thought I was your god?!
> 
> MC: since when, huh? w h e n.


	13. Chapter 12: Punishment Escape

Floyd grumbled, walking around in the cafeteria just to waste a bit more time before going to the Mostro Lounge for work. He was supposed to be at his basketball club's meeting but what's the point? He's not even a regular so there's no reason to go.

Yet it bothered him so. He can play well but sometimes the sport was just plain boring. "Meh, whatever," Floyd muttered to himself irritated. As he walked around the big spacious room of the cafeteria, he noticed some students here and there. One that caught his eye was the one with the light blue sweater. 

However, he was still in his annoyed mood so he ignored it and stomped his way towards Mostro Lounge. He went to the hall of mirrors and went into the mirror that led to the Octavinelle dormitory.

Upon entering the dorm, Floyd put his hands into his uniform pant's pockets and angled his neck forward to look intimidating. He didn't want to be talked to unless it was Jade or Azul but even then, he didn't want to be bothered at all.

Floyd went up the stairs and into the lounge. Jade was the first to notice his twin's sour behavior. "Ah, Floyd. Bad day?" Jade asked as he served some tables with drinks and food. Floyd grunted in response as he went to his room to change and into the Octavinelle uniform.

Coming out semi disheveled, and not really caring about it, Floyd went to the kitchen to cook for a bit even though he knew he was going to get bored of it. Floyd did as Floyd does as he eventually got bored of it and went back out into the lounge to serve.

Jade hummed as he observed his brother's mood and attitude. "Ne, Floyd," Floyd grunted once again in response as he flopped into a seat, done with serving as he found it plain to do. "Don't you have a club's meeting today?" Jade asked, face now a bit blank, mouth set into a straight line.

Floyd huffed and crossed his arms. "It's for regulars and even if I was a regular, I still wouldn't attend. The coaches would be telling me how to play properly. You know I don't like being told what to do." Floyd whined.

Jade smiled a bit as he knew and figured that was the case. "I see. Did anything catch your eye on the way here?" It wasn't a surprise that Floyd tended to grab some shiny stuff and book it with it. One time Floyd came to the dorm with one of the teacher's cups and for what reason? Simply because it looked shiny.

At the topic change, Floyd straightened up. "Hmm, yeah!~ A light blue sweater!" Jade wouldn't admit it but he was a bit surprised it wasn't anything with a metallic tinge, tint, or overall covered in metallic. "I see. Was it pretty and shiny?" Jade asked, a bit cautious as Floyd was well more known for mood swings.

Floyd tilted his head to the side as he began to think about the light blue sweater. "Hmm no, not really.~ Just that it caught my eye when I was coming here!~" Floyd said, mood getting better now that the topic was something he was interested in. 

"I see. Well, maybe next time you'll be able to meet the person who was wearing it. Perhaps they can lend you it if you were to ask nicely," Jade put his input in the conversation as he tidied Floyd's attire.

Floyd nodded in agreement. "Yeah!~ Maybe they'll be fun to squeeze!~ You think they're gonna run away from me Jade?" Floyd asked as he stood up, aura changed. Jade shrugged, knowing the full answer but not saying it. "Who knows? Perhaps if you were to show them how great your hugs are, they won't run away."

Floyd smiled, teeth showing as his eyes squinted, feeling a rush of excitement at the thought of chasing someone. Though, it's always been like that. Oh, he can't wait for the day that person in the light blue sweater makes a deal with Azul and break it; that's usually his favorite part. 

Chasing the deal breakers for not holding up to their end and squeezing them tight till they beg for mercy. It was always up to Floyd if he wanted to let go or continue squeezing them till they... well stopped moving for a lack of words. 

Floyd's eyes looked at Jade who was now serving a rowdy bunch. They were impatient yet in a way, Jade was the one who controlled if they were to get their food. Floyd thinks, that they were very similar given that they were twins.

Both like control, not being controlled. Although they like the grasps of controlling things they were able to do, it gets kind of boring, at least for Floyd. Jade seems to like the way things are right now but Floyd feels that one day that will change. When? He doesn't know. 

Oh well, guess he should go back to the kitchen and just be his happy self as his mind went back to the light blue sweater person. He can only hope they can be just as entertaining as their colored sweater. Floyd wonders as well, do they like the ocean? He wants to know, would they survive the deep depths?

Maybe he can squeeze them more in his eel form. With a thrill leaving his lips, Floyd ran to the kitchen, excited to see the light blue sweater person. He can't wait. If only he knew his brother was thinking about the person he met in the library, was the same person Floyd was eager to see once again.

* * *

Ace sighed as he put his hands behind his head as he walked towards the direction of the Hall of Mirrors. Frankly, he wouldn't want to go to the dormitory so early, but anything to skip out on cleaning duty. Ace stopped walking momentarily to think but then scoffed as he continued to walk.

"It's not like they know which dormitory. If they haven't figured it out already then man both of them are really dumb huh?" Just thinking about it made Ace wince and place a hand on his swollen cheek that Atreo punched earlier. "That girl got some power jeez."

Crossing the courtyard to get to the hall of mirrors, Ace's thoughts consisted of the girl and the cat he insulted. Ace furrowed his brows as he remembered the hurt that crossed the female's face when he pretty much just laughed at her and mocked her on her current position.

A tinge of guilt hit him, making his stomach drop a bit. Ace shook his head, almost violently. "It's not like we're friends so why should I care about her feelings?" Ace pursed his lips in a semi-pout. Ace's eyes went lidded as he still felt the guilt.

He wouldn't ever admit it but the way she looked at him. It was as if she was looking at a beacon of hope and he was that. Not only that but she told something that was probably vulnerable to her and he threw it down the trash just to make fun of them.

Slowing his steps a bit, he was close to the entrance of the Hall of Mirrors. As he neared his location, he ruffled his hair in frustration that his brain was filled with thoughts he didn't want to think about. 

As he saw the mirrors and their reflection come into view from far away, he clicked his tongue, remembering what he was going to the Hall of Mirrors for. 

"Man I'm so glad I'm skipping out cleaning out a _hundred_ windows. No way am I gonna clean that many. Gotta get to the dorm and rest up for tomorrow's club tryouts." Ace murmured to himself.

"HEY, YOU!" A familiar voice sounded throughout the hallway of the Hall of Mirrors. _'No fucking way,'_ Ace thought as he turned his head, almost robotically. 

Ace's stomach dropped heavily at the sight of an angered duo, the girl moreso who looked like she was going to off his head herself and not his dorm leader. "Geh! They found me!" Ace then turned his head and booked it for his life.

* * *

"JERK! HOLD UP! I WON'T LET YOU BE THE ONLY ONE TO ESCAPE!" Grim yelled out while Atreo pushed her legs to go faster, her mind on a single track, and that track was to beat up Ace so horribly that not even a bug could see he was human.

"I'M NOT JUST GOING TO WAIT AROUND FOR YOU! I'M OUTTA HERE!" Ace yelled back in response, turning his head to see if he can see how far the distance was between them. He nearly shit bricks as he can see them gain some distance between him.

"IT'S NOT FAIR FOR ONLY _YOU_ TO GET OUT OF IT! I WANT TO SKIP OUT OF IT TOO!" Grim yowled, paws curled up in anger. In the distance, Atreo could make out a figure that was about her height enter the scene. If the figure said something, Atreo could be sure it was probably a sound of confusion at the sight of a guy being chased by a furious girl.

Seems like Ace heard him as Ace screamed 'OUTTA MY WAY!' twice at the male who stood in shock. Ace seemed to bulldoze his way through the guy, bumping shoulders and torsos, the guy stumbling backward at the sudden shoves on his body. The guy seems to exclaim in surprise.

Atreo tried to think fast, knowing that even if she did catch up to Ace, she wasn't strong enough to keep him down. She had a feeling he would run the moment he struggled free from her hold. "HEY!" Atreo yelled making the guy that Ace bump into, turned to her in surprise (probably at the fact that there's a female in an all-boys school).

"CATCH HIM PLEASE!" Atreo screamed out, pointing at Ace who heard and tried to go faster, though Atreo could see he was getting a bit tired as his feet stumbled. The guy jolted, not expecting her to ask him to catch a perpetrator. Atreo almost passed him, though she grabbed his arm and dragged him along.

The guy fumbled after her, not expecting her to grab him like that and the poor boy's face was red, or that's what Grim saw and would, later on, explain to Atreo. Thankfully lady luck was on her side as the guy exclaimed, "MAGIC TO CAPTURE SOMEONE?!" then the guy started to whisper to himself feverishly, probably on how to catch Ace. 

"Maybe I should freeze their legs, no, how about restrain them? Or I could... u - um." The guy with a spade on his left eye stuttered out, face still red from the fact that a female was holding his wrist tightly.

Grim, having enough of the spade boy's reluctant attitude yowled out impatiently, "Does it matter in any way?! I don't care how, just hit him hard! HURRY!" Grim screeched, seeing that Ace was almost near the dormitory mirror.

"I - In any way?! Any way... Eh!" The spade guy exclaimed, pointing a wand (later Atreo would find out it's called a magic pen) towards Ace, face now normal as he focused on stopping the perpetrator. Seems like the guy was struggling as Atreo heard what sounded like grinding teeth behind her.

"Anything is fine, so come on! Something heavy!" The guy grunted out, frustration coming out more. Suddenly above Ace was a big cauldron and everyone but Ace looked at it in awe then with wide eyes as they realized that cauldron was going _on top of Ace._

Then it fell. It practically squashed Ace like a bug, stopping him in his tracks. "GYAHK! What the heck, a pot?!" Atreo stopped running shortly, letting go of the spade guy, and looked at Ace who was struggling to get out under of the cauldron. A minute went by.

In unison, both Atreo and Grim let out a 'pfft!', doubling over in laughter. Grim stood in front of Ace, pointing a paw in front of him laughing straight in his face while Atreo was on her hands and knees, wheezing out trying to keep the guffawing to a minimum.

"Gyahahaha! Check it out! Ace is as flat as a pancake under that cauldron! So lame!" Grim cackled while Ace glared at Grim, looking as if he was gonna wring Grim's neck. Atreo struggled to stand, still laughing at Ace. Payback's a bitch and so does karma.

"I didn't think I'd get a cauldron. Did I overdo it?" Spade guy said, putting his thinking face on, thumb and forefinger on his chin. Atreo finally being able to catch her breath, stood up, and gleefully patted his shoulder with a grin. 

"Not in my opinion, if anything I think you _underdid_ it. I say he deserves more than a damn cauldron." Atreo sneered at Ace who gulped at her words. The spade guy spluttered, cheeks tinged with pink, not expecting a woman near his height and a woman who still had her hand on his shoulder. 

Not only that but she acts like a tough delinquent. Where he's from, there were mostly girls who looked and acted fragile so seeing a girl who seems like she could take a punch, throw a punch, was a change for him.

"Man, this hurts." Ace whined before throwing a glare in Atreo's direction, who stuck her tongue out and put a finger on her bottom eyelid, pulling it, mocking him in return. The spade guy started to help Ace out from underneath the cauldron as Atreo watched in satisfaction.

Ace pouted, "You should be fine. Those hundred windows should be cleaned in a flash." Atreo scowled. "That's not something you do 'in a flash!' Besides, those were orders from the headmaster himself ya know." Atreo huffed out, crossing her arms.

Looks like the spade guy was paying attention to the whole situation. "Washing hundred windows as punishment. What in the world did you all do?" Spade guy asked, confusion clear on his feature. Atreo turned to look at him but the spade guy looked away, focusing his gaze on Ace. Atreo's shoulders slumped down, realizing the guy was avoiding her gaze.

Ace groaned, rolling his eyes as he recounted the events that led up to this. "I got into it a bit with the furball and we might have charred the Queen of Hearts' statue a bit." Ace pursed his lips sheepishly and pressed his hands together. Grim looked smug as if someone had just rewarded him with a trophy.

The spade guy's eyes went wide again and screamed, "YOU DAMAGED ONE OF THE GREAT SEVEN STATUES?!" Everyone but the spade guy winced at the loud volume despite yelling moments before. Spade guy saw the wince everyone did and coughed into his gloved hand, feeling a bit guilty. "That's _definitely_ something people would get angry with."

"You get into a prestigious school then do something like that on the first day... " Spade guy sighed and shook his head in disappointment, putting his arms out, palms upwards, elbows down. Ace furrowed his brows together in anger and scowled at what seemed like the guy's condescending tone.

"Shuddup. And who are you?" Ace spat in a bitter tone. At this Atreo perked up and looked at the male expectantly. In a way, she wanted to thank her 'hero' for stopping the 'villain.' Not only that but this spade guy wasn't so bad. Atreo gave a side-eyed glance at Ace who noticed but didn't say anything. _'As long as he doesn't laugh at my situation, I think we'd be cool acquaintances.'_ She thought.

Trying not to lose his cool at seeing a visibly awed and beaming girl towards him, the spade guy focused his attention on Ace. "I'm Deuce, Deuce Spade. Would it hurt to remember your classmates' faces at least? U - um..." Spade guy, now dubbed as Deuce Spade, stammered, realizing his mistake and hypocrisy.

"You haven't memorized them either." Ace snickered as he visibly pointed it out. Before anything could transpire, Atreo jumped in between the boys, eager to have a better acquaintance or maybe a friend. Having a cat was nice company but Atreo was starting to crave human interaction that wasn't just the headmaster.

"Hi! My name's Atreo Shutaro, but Atreo is fine!" Atreo beams, holding out her bandaged hand for a handshake. Deuce blinked then stumbled at the sudden appearance. Deuce's face flushed before shakily grasping her hand, overthinking things like 'is my hand sweaty? am I being too awkward?' etc.

"It's nice to meet you Deuce!" Atreo cheerfully said, shaking their hands before Atreo released her hand from his, making Deuce stammer something in response. Ace 'pffted' about to make fun of Deuce who noticed and coughed into his gloved hand once more.

Atreo couldn't help but coo at the embarrassed male who was near her height, at least nearer than Ace was. Something about him was just endearing. Shrugging off the emotions Atreo was experiencing, she opted to listen to Deuce.

"A - Anyway! If you were ordered by the headmaster, that means you take it seriously." Deuce said, placing his hands on his hips as he glared down at Ace, making Atreo cheer internally at the sidelines. At least someone understood the situation and chose the better option.

"Yeah, yeah. Understood. Then let's get it done and over with," Ace said, stretching his now semi sore body from the cauldron before realizing something and voiced it out loud, making everyone pause. "Hnn? Something doesn't feel right," Ace murmured. Oh if only Atreo would've focused on what Grim had said earlier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ace: Why do I hear final boss fight music??
> 
> MC: (walking up to Ace jojo style)


	14. Chapter 13: Rash Tactics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone has a great New Years and New Years Eve 🤗!!

"Something's not right," Ace said, Deuce looking a bit confused. "Wait...," Atreo started, green eyes wide as saucers, "Grim's being oddly quiet." At that, the males both whipped their heads to where Grim is, well, was. He's no longer there. 

"Ah, that furball's gone!" Ace gaped with widen eyes. The human trio quickly ran to the nearest window that showed the outside. They saw Grim floating away. Atreo forgot he could do that since most of the time he was just sitting on her shoulder.

As if Grim could sense their eyes on him, he turned around and waved a paw, mischievous smile on his face. "Hehehe! I leave it to you all! Bye-bye!" Then he turned around and went through the courtyard, passing by the statues.

"Dumb cat! He made me take his place!" Ace cursed then regained his thoughts, "Hey umm, Juice?" Ace said, though you can tell, he immediately forgot Deuce's name. Atreo placed a hand over her mouth and coughed, trying to not let any laughter slip through. 

Probably baffled at the fact that Ace forgot Deuce's name so quickly, Deuce yelled out while looking astonished. "I'm not Juice! Deuce! _Deu!_ " Deuce emphasized the first three letters of his name.

"Whatever," Ace dismissed, "Anyways! You're partly responsible so help us catch that furball!" Ace commanded before running away from the Hall of Mirrors, making Atreo and Deuce follow him. Panting, Deuce asked, "Why me?" 

Stopping momentarily, Ace pointed at Atreo over his shoulder with his thumb. "This deadweight can't use magic so they don't count! Let's go!" Atreo grunted dangerously at Ace, glaring at him while Deuce looked at her flabbergasted. "S - so you're the magicless student?!"

Before Atreo could even respond to that, Ace interrupted them making Atreo fume silently and Deuce a bit annoyed. "Less talking and more running! There's no way I'm gonna be suffering by myself! I'm going to take that raccoon down with me!" Ace grinned widely.

_'What a hypocrite,'_ Atreo thought but kept running. It was like Deuce could read her mind and just made a noise of agreement. The human trio ran from the Hall of Mirrors to the courtyard. 

As they passed through the statues, all three of them wincing at the Queen of Hearts statue knowing what had happened to it. It was cleaned up, mostly by Atreo, but one could tell that the headmaster had someone else patch it up, making it look like how it was before it got charred.

Stopping in the school's hallway, they all caught their breaths. Ace was wheezing while Ace snickered and Deuce smirked at his misfortune. Catching up to their normal breathing, Ace asked a good question that neither thought of.

"Well since that raccoon had a headstart, we don't know where he went. Anyone have any good ideas?" And by anyone both of the males stared down Atreo who scowled at them but soon had her thinking cap (plus face) on. "Hmm... Grim is quite gluttonous. So maybe the cafeteria?" 

"That and well, we didn't really eat much so that's even more of a reason for him to be there," Atreo shrugged. Atreo received two completely different responses. Shock that quickly replaced concern from Deuce and a dismissive glance from Ace. "Maybe we should get you something to eat after the punishment," Deuce said.

Though Atreo never knew the guilt Ace had, the guilt hit Ace again. Not that he would let it show, that's too lame but still... Knowing that Atreo didn't eat much after this whole situation? Ace visibly winced making Deuce and Atreo look at him in worry. Ace quickly reassured them that he was okay. 

"So cafeteria then?" Atreo shrugged, "Not a guarantee but I'm more than seventy-five percent sure he's in there." Ace groaned, "I'll take that chance then, let's go." With that, they all head towards the cafeteria. 

Right at the doors that led to the cafeteria, Atreo stopped the two males. "Wait... " Atreo trailed off, furrowing her brows in thought. "If we go in there willy nilly he'll know it's us. We should sneak in quietly." Ace looked at her like she was dumb. "Does it matter? In the end, he's going to run or something."

Deuce jumped in, "Yeah he's probably going to just run away from us so what's the point of being sneaky?" On cue, they both turned to the door and kicked it open. Deuce and Ace ran inside the cafeteria. Atreo stood there flabbergasted at the fact she was, 1) brushed off, and 2) they didn't even let her make her point.

Sighing, Atreo walked in leisurely, closing the door in the process. At least, then Grim wouldn't be able to escape through that route. Atreo turned back around to see Ace and Deuce chasing Grim. If Atreo didn't know the current situation, she would've assumed they were playing tag or something.

Inhaling and exhaling, Atreo threw herself into the fray. Fifteen minutes went by and no one was getting nowhere. Grim grinned, Ace panting loudly and out of breath, Deuce grunting in frustration then Atreo who growled in anger.

"Damn it! He's darting around everywhere!" Ace gritted his teeth in annoyance. Grim heard him and cackled, wearing a smug smile. "Heheheh! Catch me if you can, suckers!" Grim mocked before jumping into a float towards the chandelier.

"Keh! Getting on the chandelier is an underhanded move!" Deuce said pursing his lips thin, as his eyes narrowed. "We haven't exactly learned the magic to fly yet... " Deuce trailed off, eyes flickering around at his surroundings trying to make a plan or at least something to start one.

"We need something to get up there, and also catch him... " Deuce began to mumble to himself, eyes still wandering around before placing his eyes on Ace and grinned. "Ah, I've got it!" Deuce whisper yelled as he whipped out his magic pen. 

Atreo glanced at him but shrugged her shoulders, figuring that Deuce would probably do a wind spell. What happened next was completely out of Atreo's reach of control. She stood next to Ace, ready to grab Grim if he were to drop from the chandelier.

"We need to think of an idea," Ace murmured to Atreo who nodded, looking up at the chandelier then turned to Ace to see if he had a plan. He turned around to face Atreo and Deuce when he realized something. "W - Woah... woah woah, wait a sec!" Ace said, panicking seeing Deuce's magic pen pointed at him.

"Why are you pointing your magic pen at me?! Hey point somewhere else!" Ace said, tone angry yet his face had scared features on it. Deuce had a grim expression on his face, not liking what he might have to do but acted as if he had no choice. "I'll throw you up there!"

Atreo heard Ace's yells and turned around to see what the commotion was. Her eyes bulged at Deuce's magic pen pointed at Ace. She then heard what Deuce said and immediately thought it wasn't a good idea.

"EH?! No, wait!" Atreo said, going up to Deuce trying to persuade him from lifting Ace from the ground and throwing him at Grim like a baseball to a baseball bat. Unfortunately, Deuce is stubborn, Atreo learned the hard way. Although Deuce felt bad for ignoring Atreo, his mind was focused on the current situation. 

"Y - you're joking!" Ace said, eyes wide. Then Ace was slowly lifted off the bed as Deuce's magic pen glowed softly. "W - woah! Oi! Don't make me float!" Ace's arms and legs flailed around helplessly. "You're _really_ going to throw me!? Knock it off!" Ace's entire being was just filled with panic. 

Even though Ace was such an asshole to Atreo hours earlier, Atreo couldn't help but feel a ping of worry in her heart seeing that 'full of himself' guy who was now looking powerless. Before Atreo could stop Deuce, Deuce yelled. "Catch him ya hear?! Take aim, and then, fire!"

Ace was launched into the air, towards the chandelier where Grim was hanging around like a monkey. "AAAAHHHH!" Ace screamed his lungs out as his body flew towards Grim, who turned around in time to see Ace headed straight towards him. "FNGAH?!" That was all Grim was able to yowl out.

Ace crashed into the chandelier, along with Grim. Ace clung to the chandelier, screaming and looking down. Grim was dazed, not completely knocked out but close to it if he were to hit something else. Then a creaking noise was heard. They all knew where it came from.

It was like everything happened too fast. The chandelier fell along with Ace and Grim. Both Grim and Ace smacked against the floor harshly while the chandelier made a giant dent in the floor. Both Atreo and Deuce winced seeing the damage.

"T - The chandelier!" Atreo's face went white as she sprinted towards Grim and Ace. Ace seemed to be fine while he coughed from all the dust the chandelier had. "Geh, I can't believe it!" Ace glared at Deuce who was still in shock from the fact the chandelier fell.

Grim on the other hand... Atreo's heart stops and she felt her body heat up from the anxiety that entered her brain. There's no way Grim could pass away from a concussion... right? Grim groaned which made Atreo sigh in relief that he was alright. She grabbed him gently and cradled him as if he was a human baby.

"I - I screwed up! I didn't think about the landing!" Deuce was able to say, eyes wide as his brain finally being able to register on what really happened. "Are you... AN IDIOT!?" Ace screamed as he got up slowly, anger radiating from his entire being.

Ace then sighed, releasing some of the anger and tension from his body. "We caught Grim but if the Headmaster finds out we busted the chandelier... " Ace trailed off, making Atreo and Deuce stiffened up at the truth. Atreo suddenly violently shuddered. She felt like how Crowley glared at her at the ceremony.

"If I... find out?" As if Crowley was summoned by Atreo's thoughts, he was there, golden pupils blown and narrowed. All three of them gulped in nervousness while Grim groaned softly at all of the noise buzzing around him. "Geh, headmaster," Ace sighed, accepting his fate at this point.

"Just... what... exactly... ARE YOU ALL DOING?!" Crowley yelled at all of them, making everyone but Grim, flinch at his boisterous voice. Grim inputted something important. "Gnyah, the room... is spinning." Ah yes, thank you Grim, at least we know your famous last words. 

"You weren't satisfied with just damaging the statue so you decided to destroy the chandelier too!?" Crowley screeched, looking at the trio. Crowley having enough of having to clean up some of the messes after incidents during class times, snapped. "This is the last straw! I will have all of you expelled!"

Atreo winced as both Ace and Deuce yelled simultaneously. Usually, she would pipe up with a sarcastic comment, especially on the expelled part. 'I'm not even a student and you're trying to expel me?' was what Atreo wanted to say but knew better. Sometimes sarcasm isn't appreciated and Atreo knew this wasn't the time.

Immediately, Deuce tried to beg for the headmaster for mercy. "Please! Anything but that! I have many things I need to do at this school!" Atreo felt guilt as she knew that in a way, she was responsible for this.

"You have nothing to blame but your own idiocy," Crowley's tone was cold making Atreo inch away instinctively. At this moment, Atreo admired Deuce and his bravery. "I will pay for all damages if I have to!" Deuce said, brows furrowed and adamant on not being expelled. 

"I see. This is no normal chandelier," Crowley started, anger still pulsating out forward but not exactly acting on it anymore. Atreo was wary of this. "This is a magical chandelier that uses candles that will burn for eternity."

"It is a masterpiece made by a legendary master of magical tools. It has been entrusted to the school since its very foundation... " Crowley trailed off before resuming, "Taking into consideration its historical value, it would cost no less than a billion madol." 

Atreo didn't know what madol was but she assumes it's the currency in this world. She knew what billion meant as she could feel her soul leave her body at the word. Seems like the other's agree though refrained from saying anything else, feeling like Crowley wasn't done. He wasn't.

"Are you able to pay a billion madol to fix up the damages?" Crowley inquired, tilting his head to the side. The action intimidated the trio who all shivered simultaneously. Damn, Atreo is starting to have a friendly crush on Deuce. She could hope they could be the best of friends after this. 

"A b - billion madol!?" Deuce squawked then sighed, putting his hands on either side of his head as he bent forward slightly. Ace chuckled humorlessly yet nervous due to what he was going to say. "But, headmaster, can't you just fix it up with magic?" Ace earned himself a nasty glare from Crowley.

"Magic is not all-powerful," Crowley stated making Atreo agree internally, "More importantly the magic crystal, what we call the heart of any magical tool, was shattered." Crowley glowered at the three.

"No two magic crystals are the same. The chandelier will never be lit again due to, circumstances." Crowley said, looking somber and sad. Atreo pursed her lips. _'Geez implying it than outright blaming us for it, is somehow worse. What a way to make us feel like shit teach.'_ Atreo sighed.

The air was quick to fill with dread and sorrow. "Ah, how can that... " Ace trailed off, sighing as he put a hand on his hip and the other on his head, ruffling his hair in the process. "Crap. What am I doing? What am I going to tell Mom... " Deuce silently stressed out.

Atreo looked concerned and wanted to comfort both of them but didn't know how since she knows, she's a huge reason why they were in this current situation. Atreo opened her mouth but closed it as quickly as she had opened it. There's nothing she can say that will make the situation better.

Crowley was observing everyone's behavior. A tired Ace, a stressed Deuce, and a quiet Atreo. Not that Crowley ever know these people, he can just tell that this wasn't them at all. Crowley sighed, catching everyone's attention. They were expecting him to say something... distasteful. 

"Hmm... well there is a way," Crowley said, putting his forefinger on his chin and thumb underneath it. Everyone perked up, seeing that there was a chance to redeem themselves. "That's right, there might be one way to fix the chandelier." Both Duece and Ace made a noise of surprise before turning back to their normal state while Atreo couldn't help but squint her eyes at Crowley in suspicion.

"The magic crystal for this chandelier was mined in the Dwarf's Mine. If we had a magic crystal of the same kind as the original, repairs might be possible," Crowley hummed while his golden orbs flickered between the trio. Only Atreo saw this as both Ace and Deuce looked at each other then looked back at Crowley.

"I'll go find a magic crystal! Please, allow me to go!" Words left by Deuce's mouth as he bowed stiffly towards the headmaster, leaving a frowning Ace and a suspicious Atreo (towards Crowley). If Atreo hadn't been paying attention to Crowley, she wouldn't have seen how big Crowley's gold orbs had gotten.

"You're quick to offer yourself, however, I have no guarantee that there are any left in the mine. The mine has been closed for a while and there may be no more crystals," Crowley stated. 

_'How much does he know about these mines and their crystals?'_ Atreo looked at Deuce and Ace in the corner of her eyes, _'They live in this world yet they know nothing about this mine.'_ Atreo's eyes flickered back to Crowley, too deep in her thoughts that she almost didn't hear what happened next.

"Fine. I shall give you one night. Come to me with a magic crystal in your hands by tomorrow morning, or face expulsion, understood?" Crowley said, sassily crossing his arms while Deuce nodded quickly, "Yes! Thank you very much!"

Ace sighed heavily before straightening himself up, "Eh, I suppose. Let's go get that magic crystal and be done with it then. I'm so damn tired." 

Crowley nodded, pleased that Ace was going as well. "Use the gate in the Mirror Chamber to go directly to Dwarfs' Mine." Then it occurred to Atreo that the gate this entire time was the mirror. _'Oh my god, everything is just confusing, fuck this.'_ Atreo grunted as quietly as she could.

"Yes sir!" Deuce saluted and then ran out. Ace and Atreo looked at each other before sighing in unison. "Walking sounds better yeah?" Ace nodded in agreement as they walked to the Mirror Chamber. 

Grim roused from his concussion. "Hmm," Grim rubbed his eyes blinking as he looked up at Atreo. "Wait what? When did... what happened?" Atreo petted him softly with her fingers, "Honestly, you might've been happier staying unconscious. I know I would if I was you." Atreo mumbled while Ace agreed vocally. All this for a rock, who knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC @ Crowley: Idk,, that man kinda sus
> 
> Crowley: (Dancing like a bird would).


	15. Chapter 14: Unintentional Troubles

Everyone was now in the mirror chamber where there were still floating coffins. _'Even though they don't do much, they still make me uncomfortable,'_ Atreo shivered. They all stood in front of the mirror in silence before Ace broke it.

"Ah, why did it turn into something like this? Today is _really_ not my day." Ace grumbled, putting a hand in his pocket and the other behind his neck, looking drained overall. Deuce frowned at Ace's complaining.

"Now isn't the time for mumbling and complaints! Let's go!" Deuce said before uttering the next sentences. "Mirror, mirror on the wall! Light our way to Dwarfs' Mine!" On cue, the mirror started to glow and showed a place in a forest. 

The trio looked at each other and gave various reactions. Ace with a bit of a grin while Deuce had a very strict expression. Atreo on the other hand just sighed but smiled as she thought of ways to make it up to both boys. They all stepped into the mirror.

When Atreo stepped into the mirror she closed her eyes tightly, scared that maybe she'll fall from the sky the moment she entered. She felt someone poke her shoulder harshly, making her open her eyes to see who poked her.

The moment her eyes opened, she saw a grassy field. They were just standing in a field that was near a little cottage house. Atreo turned to whoever poked and was surprised it was Deuce. Deuce now seeing that Atreo look at him, froze up. 

Atreo pursed her lips at that. _'Guess I make him really uncomfortable.'_ And soon she heard Ace snickering as the trio began to walk towards the cottage, Deuce putting Ace between them. Silence ensued. 

All of them were sneaking glances at each other, sweating from nervousness. "So... I guess I should apologize. Sorry." Atreo said, looking guilty. Both Ace and Deuce blinked but before Deuce could say that it was fine, Ace butted in.

"Yeah, you should apologize," Ace said, eyes squinting and brows furrowed at her. Atreo winced and looked away momentarily before looking back, sighing. "I mean, to Deuce yes because he was just an innocent bystander that we roped him in with our problems," Deuce flushed pink slightly as he scratched his red-tinged ear.

"But to you? I don't think I should." Atreo's annoyance showed on her face. Deuce and Grim looked at each other warily, feeling like a fight between Ace and Atreo might break out. 

Ace frowned, "I think I _do_ deserve a 'sorry.' After all, you and Grim are the reason why I had to clean a _hundred stupid windows._ " Ace hissed back at her making Atreo put her upper lip in a snarl.

"If only you hadn't _fucking_ ," Deuce looked shocked at her vulgar language while Ace flinched at it, not expecting her to use such a cold tone towards him, "provoke us, you would've been fine but _no,_ you just go and did that." Atreo spat as they were now near the cottage house.

Ace was about to retort but Deuce thankfully interrupted them, easing some of the tension. "Hey let's go investigate the house okay? Then we can go look for the mines after." He said, speed walking his way to the house while Atreo and Ace threw each other a nasty look at each other before going to where Deuce headed. 

Once in front of it, Atreo stuck her tongue out, grossed by the cobwebs that hanged around the roof. "So this is Dwarfs' Mine. It used to be prosperous, thanks to magic crystal mining but... " Deuce trailed off, surprised and yet concerned at how much the place seemed to have changed.

Atreo shrugged, not sure what to compare it to since she wasn't from here at all. "Uh, feels like something could jump out." Grim shivered like a chihuahua perched on his usual spot, Atreo's shoulder. Atreo looked at him like he just said something stupid.

"Hey, why are you still on my shoulder? Don't be lazy, use your flying or floating, or whatever you call it. You're heavy you know," Atreo huffed, crossing her arms. Grim made an offended noise as Atreo shoved him off. He floated, the little shit.

"Hey! You can't just push me off like that henchman!" Ah, now she knows the reason why he likes to perch on her like a bird to a branch. Atreo looked at him blankly, face void of emotion.

Deuce knocked on the door politely then waited for a minute or two and was about to knock on it again if it weren't for Ace's impatientness. Ace rolled his eyes before grabbing the knob and pushing the door open.

They all filed into the house, the males going in like nothing while Atreo peaked around cautiously. The house seems decently big but yet also quite small? Atreo could probably reach out to the ceiling and touch it with a bit of a hop in her jump.

"There are cobwebs everywhere," Atreo mumbled to herself as she saw Grim fly towards a cobweb and she was pretty sure he didn't see it in time to avoid it. "Bleh! I got a spider web in my face!" Atreo heard Grim yowl out.

Feeling unsafe Atreo stayed near Ace despite having a dispute with him earlier and it seems like he felt the same, staying near her as well. They surveyed the house, or at least the bottom floor of it. 

Atreo saw that there were stairs that no longer looked like they could hold a person up anymore, maybe just a mouse could make it up on them. These were somehow worse than the ones in the dorm. It made Atreo hope that no one lived here as this was somehow unliveable compared to the Ramshackle dorm.

"I guess it's abandoned," Deuce spoke up, crouching by the table and touching the surface with his gloved hand. He looked at it, seeing there was a ton of dust particles that were on his finger and some dust particles that floated about by the movement. 

"It's a mess in here," Deuce concluded as he stood back up. Ace just shook his head, "Really? What made you come to that conclusion?" Atreo jabbed his side harshly for being semi rude to Deuce. Ace winced and rubbed his side, glaring at Atreo. 

Atreo shrugged off Ace's glare and reaffirmed Deuce's conclusion. "It does look it's been abandoned due to the dust that's been collecting for what looks like a century or so," Atreo said, shuffling slowly as she didn't want to kick up dust.

"Say, aren't the tables and chairs on the small side? Are they for kids?" Ace pointed out, the chairs plus tables gaining the attention of both Deuce and Atreo. They balked at the sight before getting embarrassed, or at least Atreo did.

_'How did I miss that? Were they that small that I didn't see it? Grim looks like he could sit in these chairs and it wouldn't look big at all,'_ Atreo thought while she stared at one of the chairs. She could hear Ace count out loud.

"One, two," Ace mumbled to himself before exclaiming in surprise. "There's seven! So many!" Ace gaped while Grim made a noise, eyes wide at the sight of seven small chairs. Atreo crouched by the fireplace, inspecting the big pot out of curiosity than for information.

"Well, this place was definitely used for the mining caves," Ace said, warily looked at the pickaxe that was embedded in the wooden table. Atreo looked at the pickaxe, storing the placement of it in her brain as she got up from her crouching and walked towards it.

Ace backed away, thinking she was going to kill one of them and Deuce looked at her, wondering if Ace was going to die or not. Atreo lifted up the pickaxe with one hand, or she tried. 

Her arm trembled from the weight making her grunt before grabbing the pickaxe with both hands. She tightened her arm muscles a bit but her arms still trembled a bit. At least it was more stable than it was before. Inhaling slowly she tried to have the pickaxe go over her head a bit. 

Eventually feeling her arms give out Atreo placed the heavy object back on the table, rubbing her limbs and stretching them out slowly. "Sorry, I just wanted to know the feel of one since I never held one or saw one," Atreo said, rubbing her shoulder with her hand.

Ace almost fell to the floor, thanking the gods that this woman wasn't going to unleash her wrath on him while Deuce sighed, facepalming at her actions and words. "What? Don't tell me you wouldn't want to know what a piece of history felt like," Atreo teased them both seeing their reactions.

"Thought you were gonna kill me!" Ace shrilled out, anger taking over relief. Atreo shook her head, dismissing that idea. "Nah, I'm not cruel enough to take someone's life for something as petty as our dispute earlier," Atreo frowned at the accusation. 

Ace stared at her, unblinking but on the inside, he just felt more guilt hit him. Why was he thinking that she was a bad person? Ace didn't say anything for a while as everyone continued to search around the deserted house. Deuce broke the silence, referring to the previous topic than the one before it.

"This was probably a lively home when Dwarfs' Mine flourished," Deuce said as they all walked out of the house. Ace shrugged, putting his intertwined hands behind his head as they walked towards the direction of the caves. "They did what they had to. After all, magic crystals are found inside coal. For now, let's go check it out."

The trio (including Grim) walked through the forest for a couple of minutes, following the trail which had overgrown vegetation all over it. Soon they found themselves in front of a cave that had a tree with its roots near the entrance.

"W - we're gonna go in that pitch-black cave!?" Grim yelled, eyes wide and filled with fear. Atreo looked at him and grinned mischievously at him. Atreo leaned close to the floating Grim and whispered. "We can all smell your fear, so imagine what's in that cave. I'm sure they're craving some floating cats," Atreo wiggled her fingers.

Grim let out a squeak of fear. Before Grim could retort to Atreo's teasing, Ace intervened. "Scared? Lame.~" Ace joined in on the teasing, leaning his body towards Grim, who then whipped around to look at him. 

"Hah?! Scared?! I'm not scared at all!" Grim shouted, paws balled up in what seemed like a fist form. "You know what?! Just to prove that I'm not scared, I'll be taking the lead so you better follow, or else I'm leaving you behind!" Grim puffed out his furry chest then waddled into the cave.

The trio looked at each other and shrugged before walking after Grim. Grim's fiery ears thankfully lit the way. Atreo looked at the cave in a child's wonder. Crystals were littered in every direction Atreo looked at. Atreo would stop to admire but Ace would poke her and gesture her to continue walking.

At one point the group was walking slowly due to limited lighting. Atreo would try to swipe some crystals to sell for some money but Deuce wouldn't let her. If only he knew her situation! Ah speaking of situation...

"So... How do you guys not know about the Great Seven?" Ace brought up remembering the little lesson he gave to them before mocking them for it. Atreo flinched before awkwardly whistling, looking away as she did so while Grim started to walk a bit faster (which wasn't faster by the way).

Silence as Deuce wore a shocked look on his face then turned to look at the duo in question. "You guys seriously don't know about them? Like at all?" Atreo felt her face flush in shame but then irritation rose and replaced shame.

"Well, I wouldn't know anything about a world I'm not even part of," Atreo answered sarcastically and continued walk with Grim who was now just fooling around due to boredom. She heard Ace and Deuce stop walking. Atreo turned back around to see what was wrong with them.

Shock? No, the shock was an understatement. "W - what did you say?" Ace was able to utter out. Atreo sighed and placed her hands in her pockets. She just opened a can of worms and of course, it had to be sarcastic. 

"I said what I said and I wasn't joking about it either." Ace and Deuce stayed quiet, not sure what to say. "Well, we might as well talk about it now, right?" Atreo scratched her head, trying to think of how to explain it to them.

"I'm not from here," Atreo started as she leaned on the cave's wall. "What I mean by that is, I'm from a different universe, a different world, and such. Where I'm from, there's no such thing as magic or wands," She gestured towards their magic pens.

"Where I'm from mermaids, fairies, anything that sounds mythical or fantasy, doesn't exist in my world. Anything that you have here probably doesn't exist in my world." Atreo said. "Not only that but I'm sure I'm not supposed to be here. Me, a magicless girl in an all boy's school? Sounds like a harem manga or something."

"Of course, the headmaster is trying to find a way for me to go back, and I hope it's soon. I miss my family and friends," Atreo muttered to herself as she subconsciously began to hug herself as if to save herself from the vulnerability she exhibited.

"A - anyways, let's go and find that crystal yeah?" Atreo started to fast walk away from them, following Grim who just noticed no one was following him. Ace and Deuce looked at each other then they shuffled after the other two.

"Did you know about that?" Deuce muttered to Ace as they watched Atreo's figure stumble after Grim, trying to once again, get crystals. Ace shook his head, stomach hurting from guilt at this point. "No... If I knew, I would've treated her differently from earlier."

Deuce glanced at Ace questioningly. "What did you do?" Ace winced, hissing as if Deuce landed an injury on him. "Well... I may have mocked her for being magicless." Deuce gave a nasty glare at Ace who waved his hands, trying to explain himself. "I mean, that was before I knew about her. Now? I just feel shitty."

"As you should," Deuce huffed in anger. "Maybe when this whole thing blows over, you could apologize to her. It's not like she asked to be here you know," Deuce frowned, chastising Ace for his past actions. Ace's shoulder slumped downwards. "I know... " Ace murmured.

"Hey!" Atreo waved them over, "You guys done with your secret club?" Atreo teased but she knew what they were doing. Of course, they're going to talk about her, someone who's not from this world. The boy stiffened before sighing and relaxing. They're here for a crystal not to talk about Atreo's backstory.

Before Atreo and Grim could walk back towards Deuce and Ace, Deuce made a noise. Deuce then held out a hand, fingers spread apart, an obvious sign that screamed 'stop.' "Wait." Deuce said firmly. Everyone stopped what they were doing. 

Atreo would've found this funny and say something about how freeze tag or Simon says wasn't the idealistic game to play in the mines if it weren't for Deuce's alarmed expression. Then Atreo felt breathing on her neck. Her entire being tensed up and she refused to turn around.

"Something's here," Deuce said, eyes looking around. His eyes ended up at Atreo or rather, what was behind her. "Atreo... " Deuce said lowly as if he was trying to calm down a frightened animal that was about to strike. Atreo didn't say anything, just looked at Ace and Deuce with wide wavering eyes.

Atreo heard a chuckle and silently whimpered, hands turned into fists. "Hee hee hee! Our first visitor in ten years!" Atreo immediately turned around to see what looked like Moe, one of the ghosts in the Ramshackle dormitory, with a cloak and an actual menacing smile. 

Atreo lurched away and scrambled back towards the boys. Another ghost appeared and cackled at Atreo's reaction. Eventually, the new ghost that looked like Gus, with the cloak, stopped laughing and grinned maliciously. "Make yourselves at home! For eternity!" They snarled at the trio (plus Grim).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ace pointing at MC: sHES OUT TO GET ME
> 
> Literally MC: (admiring a dandelion)


	16. Chapter 15: Severe Spot

Grim turned around to see the ghosts and could feel the intention of evil ward off of them. Grim yowled and went to where Atreo took safety. The boys. Grim hid behind one of Deuce's legs while Atreo began to use Ace as a meat shield. If you asked Atreo why Ace she would just whistle innocently and would definitely not say 'because that boy pisses me off.'

Ace groaned, turning his head to glare at Atreo who stuck her tongue out at him childishly. It was obvious what her intentions were on using him as a shield. Ace scoffed before turning back to the ghosts, frowning. "Aw, you telling me ghosts haunt here too?"

"Well duh, it is a mine and there is usually at least one who lost their lives in a mine," Atreo retorted back, rolling her eyes. Then they heard Deuce's scoff of frustration, all eyes looking at him, including the ghosts.

Deuce had narrowed his brows down, irritated that these ghosts were stopping them from getting a magic crystal. "We don't have time to deal with them one by one. Let's go!" Deuce said whipping out his magic pen to fight against the ghosts who were mildly entertained.

Ace had other plains. "Wait wait wait," Ace said, waving his hands around, eyeing the ghosts who had obvious malevolent intent. Remembering their intentions, Ace couldn't help but get pissed. "Don't think you can just order me around." Ace said, eyebrows now furrowing downward as well.

Deuce blinked at Ace but before he could say anything to counter that Ace continued. "If you hadn't done something so idiotic, we wouldn't be in this mess," Ace finished, crossing his arms and curling his upper lip into a snarl. Deuce widened his eyes before narrowing them. 

"Excuse me? That wouldn't have happened if you had just done what you were told to do!" Deuce hissed out, "Which was to clean some _windows_!" Deuce pointed a finger at Ace, slowly stomping up to him. The ghosts, Atreo and Grim winced at the motion.

"Me?! If it weren't for furball over there we wouldn't be in this damned situation! He's the one who churned up the Queen of Hearts!" Ace pointed at Grim, rather the direction over Deuce's shoulder. Atreo who by now was away from Ace and Deuce as Grim bounded his way back to her.

At this point, Grim heard the smack talk (yet factual) about him and his fur stood as he hissed at the direction of Ace and Deuce. "Hah?! That's what you get for making a fool outta me!" Grim yowled out. 

Atreo felt irritated. Not because the guys were fighting but she can see the pitying glances from the mine ghosts. Frowning yet making no attempts to play peacemaker, Atreo stood there with the ghosts who just, watched the fight go down.

"Hey little lady," One of the ghosts said, gaining the attention of Atreo who hummed in response as the boys continued to point fingers at each other. "Does this happen on a regular?" Atreo pursed her lips before shrugging.

"Well we met just today but who knows what future will hold for us. If I'm to stick around then that's a different story though, I'm just hoping to get home soon," Atreo stared down the arguing trio. Atreo didn't realize that at that point, she was just talking to the air as the ghosts disappeared. Probably for a good reason too as she would endure future events.

Still, Atreo wasn't expecting Deuce to yell loudly making Atreo shift around warily, looking around. She wouldn't be surprised if they attracted unwanted attention from how loud it was. "All of you! Do you understand our situation right now?" Deuce scowled.

"We're all expelled if we don't get back with a magic crystal by tomorrow morning!" Deuce reminded them. Atreo turned her head away so she wouldn't rebuttal with an 'I don't attend there as a student and even then, It's not a job since I'm not being paid.'

Ace stuck his pinky finger in his ear while sighing though one could tell that he was still irritated. "So stop patronizing me. It's really ticking me off!" Ace growled out. Atreo started to dismiss their petty arguments but froze and quickly shushed them.

"Shush! Settle down you three!" She hissed out quietly while the boys looked at her, displeasure emitting from them. Both Ace and Deuce were about to open their mouths to argue back but Atreo glared at them and stuck a hand out. "Be fucking quiet!" She whispered yelled.

Silence happened, then a noise that strangely sounded like a voice, or something that made a vocal noise. Atreo's blood froze like ice as she made eye contact with the boys. "... I thought I just heard a voice," She whispered, panic seeping into her being.

Then the vocal noise happened again, this time more clearly. Whatever this was, its voice was warbled and distorted that it made Atreo have goosebumps all over her body. "...-on't ... I... wo-" Was all they heard vibrate through the cave walls. Everyone looked at each other and made a noise that was surprise mixed in with fear.

"W - who said that...?" Ace said, tone wobbling as he gulped after. A minute went by before whatever it was from before, responded again. "St-... one... sss ...mine..." It said. Fear coursed through the four, making Atreo shuffle fast to the boys, grabbing Deuce's sleeve of the blazer/overcoat of his uniform.

If they weren't in such a compromised situation, Deuce would be a tomato figuratively speaking. "I... I think it's... getting closer," Deuce murmured while the trio plus Grim huddled next to each other for safety.

One way to describe this unearthly creature was, big and red with black ink. A brown cork covered by a long brown hat (sort of like a beanie) then it's massive body was covered by a red long sleeve. The sleeves were shredded and the hands were blackened like it was the ink itself. On the shirt were two buttons and a belt.

In one of its hands was a large plank with a metal part attached to it. It looks as if someone stuck a piece of metal into the wood plank. On the other hand, was a lantern that dimmed lowly. The one thing that made Atreo shudder violently, was it's face

Rather, lack of. There was no face. It was faceless and it didn't look anything remotely human except for the hands. Its face and the head were a bottle filled with ink that was flowing through the crack, which everywhere.

The one thing that freaked Atreo out the most, was the fact it was able to talk without a mouth or vocal cords. And it did just that. "Stone... is... MINE!" It shrilled out, tones and voice so distorted, Atreo felt like she was having an out-of-body experience just by hearing it.

Everyone but Atreo screamed. Atreo stood there, frozen as she stared at the massive figure. Then a scream crawled out of her throat. They all simultaneously yelled, 'it's here!' before running the other way, away from the creature, the monster, whatever it was or is.

They all ran for a good couple of minutes before they stopped short, looking back to see if the monster was following them. So far, nothing was there but they knew it was going to find them soon. 

As they all panted for oxygen, Deuce asked the question no one could answer. "What the heck is that thing!?" He pointed to the path they just escaped from. They looked at each other frantically, not sure if they all just saw the same thing at the same time.

"Ngah! Crowley didn't say anything about that!" Grim said, motioning to whatever that creature they had encountered. "Let's get outta here!" Atreo nodded in agreement and was about to zoom out of the caves if it weren't for Ace butting in. 

"Ah, it was unsightly and nasty! B - but didn't it mention a 'stone'!?" Ace pointed out. Atreo started to bit on her bottom lip out of anxiousness. _'He's right, it sounded like it did but we don't know if it actually was the word stone,'_ Atreo thought to herself. Grim went 'Eh?!' at the question Ace gave out.

"Sto-... ne... Won't... Give!" The distorted voice echoed through the passage of the cave/mines. They all looked at each other with wide eyes. "Seems like Ace was right then," Atreo hesitantly said, not wanting to risk her life for a damn crystal. _'That just shows how much a crystal is more worth than my life!'_ She internally cried.

Atreo opened her mouth again to speak but Deuce beat her to the punch. "So there are magic crystals left!" He said, suddenly determined to go back. Back where that monster was. 

Atreo shook her head feverishly along with Ace and Grim, who then input his share. "N - n - nope! Nope! I'm a genius, but I can't beat that thing!" Grim wailed out while Ace seemed to agree with him but Deuce was simply too stubborn. _'This guy's gonna get himself killed!'_ Atreo sweated, her palms becoming wet with it.

"But we'll be expelled without it!" Deuce shouted before pivoting his body back in the direction where the monster was still at. "I'm going!" He said about to take off if it weren't for Ace clutching the back of Deuce's blazer/overcoat. "You've gotta be kidding me! Are you serious right now?!" Ace said, anger, confusion, and worry written over his face.

_'To think I wanted to be friends with a stubborn guy!'_ Atreo's mind screamed at her. "It's too dangerous! There's no way you're gonna take out that, thing by yourself!" She said, also grabbing an arm of Deuce to stop him.

Deuce jerked his body, trying to get Ace and Atreo off of him. "I cannot, under any circumstances, be expelled!" He said, brushing off their holds on him and then ran back to the passageway to where the monster is. 

Atreo and Ace looked at each other before taking off after Deuce. Almost immediately, they stopped as Deuce whipped out his magic pen, pointing at it towards the faceless monster. It seemed that the faceless monster was going to go back deeper into the caves but noticed the footsteps that were coming towards it. It turned around and let out a deafening roar.

* * *

Ruggie stretched his arms out as he walked towards his dormitory. Man, he was going to have to pick up after Leona. Ruggie sighed as his tail flicked. He placed his hands behind his head and walked. 

As he headed towards the entrance, he pivoted his body to see if there was anyone at the magifit stadium the dormitory had. Ruggie had an instinctive feeling that someone was there. Walking up those steps Ruggie hummed a small tune with a few whistles here and there.

Stopping a few steps short, he saw a guy with white hair and tan skin running around the sandy field(?). Ruggie pursed his lips before shrugging and turning back around to walk down the stairs. 

Whoever that guy was, was either determined to stay fit or one of those muscle heads that were obsessed with fitness. Either way, it wasn't Ruggie's business and he wasn't going to make it his business.

Walking back down the stairs and back to the dormitory entrance, Ruggie started to make a mental 'to-do' list for tomorrow. Most of it was having to clean up after Leona or reprimanding Leona to attend classes. You know, the usual.

As he shuffled into the dormitory, going up to the walkway to get to his room. Once in his room, Ruggie changed from his school uniform to the hand-me-down dormitory uniform that Leona gave him long ago. Stretching then flopping down on his bed, a satisfied sigh came out of Ruggie.

Ruggie glanced at the other empty bed in the room. His roommate would be coming later since that guy liked to visit Mostro Louge a lot. Eh well, it's his roommate's money, not his so Ruggie could care less. Ruggie turned his attention to the ceiling, seeing the room glow with the sunlight that came through the window with its blinds up.

Watching the sunlight dance around in the room Ruggie's mind decided to take a stroll through today's memories and focused on the girl from earlier events. A girl with a light blue sweater. Ruggie subconsciously started to hum once again. Feeling his tail get uncomfortable, he turned on his side as his tail flicked once.

What bothers Ruggie about the girl wasn't her height, no, he's seen plenty of beastwomen taller than her but the fact that she looked sickly pale. Was she doing okay? Was she eating well? Ruggie doesn't know and it bothers him.

Not only that but... She didn't discriminate him for being a hyena beastman. Most would be saying that a beastman shouldn't be at the bottom of the group but it wasn't like Ruggie wanted to fight a beastwoman. Ruggie shuddered at the thought. No, Ruggie wants to live.

Back to the topic, Ruggie can only guess that she's never met a beastman before. The fact that she thought Ruggie was cool, sent Ruggie's tail flicking around happily although, he didn't know his tail was subconsciously flicking.

Despite the fact, Ruggie didn't deem himself as cool or amazing, it was nice someone else thought he was, even if it was their first time meeting a beastman. Though, the work of having to keep up appearances was the off button to it. Besides, Ruggie has to focus on school and work. With those thoughts, Ruggie took a small nap since he didn't have homework to do till later.

* * *

"Oh Silver! Welcome back! How was your day?" Lilia greeted him. Silver nodded drowsily, obviously wanting to just sleep the night away. "Hey old man. It was alright," Silver said, suppressing a yawn as to not be rude to his father figure.

"Just alright?" Lilia pouted as he followed Silver to his room out of habit. Silver shrugged. "Well if you want actual news, I have become acquaintances with the dorm leader of Scarabia." Silver murmured as he entered his room.

"Hmm, well it's news!" Lilia clapped once, having his hands go to the side as a preppy school girl would've. "Anything else?" Lilia pressed, eager to know what else happened. Lilia probably knew what happened but he just wanted to hear it from his adopted son himself. 

Silver hummed a bit as he sat on his bed. "Perhaps... the incident this morning? A fight broke out on the main street." Silver said, going to his closet to get the Diasomnia uniform out and to change into. 

"Ah! I've heard about that! You woke up a bit late and saw it right? How did it end?" Lilia interrogated, wanting to know the outcome. Silver frowned before sighing, putting the clothes on the bed. 

"No, I didn't see the end of it thought perhaps, this little interesting fact will satisfy you?" Silver said, hoping his father would take the bait and leave so he can change into his uniform. Lilia perked up, eyes attentive on his adopted son. 

"You know of the magicless student yes?" Silver asked, gauging his father's reaction. "Oh yes, I do! If I remember correctly, I could smell their anger rolling off when they heard Malleus wasn't invited to the ceremony! My, Let me guess, do they attend here?" Lilia asked, eyes glowing with curiosity yet mixed with a different emotion.

"I don't think they do. Never saw the school uniform on them." Silver said. Lilia physically deflated. "I see. Oh well, I don't think they would've fit in at this school." Harsh but true, Silver thought. "Anyhow," Silver continued, "The magicless student was part of that fight, at least from what I saw." 

At this Lilia's eyes widened before a smug smile took over his face. "I see. My my, this magicless student just keeps being so interesting. I do hope they stay. Well, then Silver! I'll leave you be now. After all, I still have dinner to cook for the new students!" Lilia grinned before hopping his way out of Silver's room.

It took a full minute to register the words in Silver's brain and Silver made a choking noise before running out of his room to stop his father from accidentally poisoning the new students. Man, must be a rough life for two people who clean up after certain other people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Evil Ghosts: you put up with this??
> 
> Present Atreo: nah, not really
> 
> Future Atreo: you jinxed me past me, now you are going to suffer the same fate as me


	17. Chapter 16: Selfish Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Light gore (?)
> 
> MC gets a wound is all but I still wanted to give a warning just in case

The faceless monster let out a roar, facing the four. "Leave! Leave! LEAVE!" It said, stomping towards them then swung the hand that had the lantern on it. The faceless monster hit Deuce right in the side of his stomach, sending Deuce practically flying. "Guh!" Deuce let out a grunt of pain as he hit the rocky wall, wincing.

Ace rolled his eyes at Deuce, thinking Deuce was just being dramatic then confidently brought out his own magic pen. "Stand back if you have can't do anything, Mr. Serious!" Ace mocked before pointing the magic pen at the faceless monster. "I'll stop it! Ha!" 

A wind spell was what Ace did. The monster felt the gusts of winds, making the monster stumble backward from the sheer force of the wind. Still, the monster weighed more. The monster took a couple of steps back and roared angrily. 

It seemed like Ace knew he fucked up because he tried to get away from it but he was just as unlucky as Deuce was, who now was up clutching his side. "Woh!" The monster yelled, swinging the arm with the giant pickaxe towards Ace. Thankfully the metal part of the pickaxe didn't get Ace, rather the top of the plank of wood did.

Ace was sent flying like Deuce did moments ago. "Guhah" Ace thudded against the harsh rocky walls, bruising his back. Seeing as though the two main ones who were attacking it were gone, it turned its attention towards Atreo and Grim. It started to advance on them both.

Grim freaked out and started to summon fire around it, trying to encase it in the flames. "Ngah! Stay away!" Grim cried out, accidentally gripping Atreo's shoulder tightly, sharp nails digging in. Atreo winced but made no effort to remove him. It would just go downhill than it already was.

The monster growled, walking through the flames like it was nothing yet Atreo could hear small groans of pain from the monster itself. The faceless ink-filled monster was approaching them faster than they thought it would. 

Grim freaked out even more, practically glued to Atreo's shoulder. "I - It's not working at all!" Grim screeched. The monster swung the pickaxe again, this time towards Atreo. Atreo stumbled away in time.

Well sort of. The metal part sliced a bit of her shoulder but it wasn't as damaging as one thought it was. At most, it would leave a nasty scar. Atreo hissed at the wound, clutching her shoulder. The damn metal went through her only clean pair of clothes! Grim yowled and got off her least injured shoulder.

Not only that but Crewel gave it to her! God, what would he think about her? Would his impression of her change because she got now, a big tear in the sweater and the button up underneath? Man, she hopes he can forgive her for this and fix them back the way they were.

As Atreo was monologuing in her head about her ruined clothes, her attention was caught by something bright and shiny behind the faceless monster. Atreo's eyes widened at the object. _'Is... Is that the crystal?'_ She thought to herself.

"A - am I hallucinating or did I just saw something sparkle?" Atreo muttered to herself as she continuously dodged away from the monster, though, she was starting to get tired. 

"Behind it! At the end of the tunnel, I just saw something shine." Ace pointed in the direction of the monster, which they all noticed was not wavering away from the spot Ace just said. Deuce perked up at the mention of something shiny. "That light. Is it a magic crystal?"

Seems like the monster heard them and hollered angrily, swinging its arms around. "STONE, WON'T GIVE!" It repeated, knocking down Atreo with its hand with the lantern luckily. Atreo grunted as she hit the floor, landing on her butt harshly but quickly got back up.

"L- L- Let's get out of here! We're done for if we stay here any longer!" Grim stuttered, trying his hardest not to bolt away first. That failed as Atreo pivoted her body around, grabbed Grim by the scruff, and ran, wincing at her injuries. "Retreat! Retreat!" She screeched. Grim quickly climbed up her arm and sit on her least injured shoulder.

Deuce and Ace jolted at her sudden action. They fumbled a bit, almost getting possibly gravely injured if it weren't for Atreo slinging them away in time. The monstered roared and threw a silent fit. 

"You guys deaf?! We need to escape you two!" Atreo hollered, running away from the caves, tugging the two behind her. Her shoulder injury felt like it was burning, especially from all the muscles rolling around and such.

Soon all of them were outside of the cave and back to where the little cottage house was. Everyone panted for their breathing, trying to regain it under control. "I - is this far enough?" Grim spoke out between breaths.

In unison, they all glanced behind the path they just took to see if the monster was chasing them down. Thankfully it wasn't and they all took a big breath of relief knowing that they're somewhat safe, for now. Ace shook his head as he winced, putting a hand on his back to stabilize his spine so he could stand up straight.

"Ow ow... What in the world was that?! No one said anything about that!" Ace said, pointing back to where the cave was located. "Last time I knew, monsters don't really live in caves and if they did, it certainly wasn't mining caves!" Ace spat out bitterly.

"Well, it didn't seem like it was any old ghost," Deuce said, trying to think what to categorize the monster they all encountered moments ago. Atreo mumbled to herself, "I don't think ghosts can do physical attacks like with a pickaxe." Ace who heard her sighed, ruffling his hair in agitation.

"Let's give up and go home," Ace said honestly. "I'd rather get expelled than fight that thing." He continued, rubbing his now sore and definitely bruised back. At this Deuce whirled around to glare at Ace. 

"You're giving up so easily?" Deuce said, although you can hear the annoyed undertone to his voice. "Well, I'd rather not die fighting for a crystal just to have it be used as a chandelier light," Ace sassily retorted, crossing his arms.

"Wha?! Don't fuck with me," Deuce spat venomously, eyebrows furrowed deeply. "I'd rather fight, and die than face expulsion." He hissed out. "There's a magic crystal in front of us and you wanna go home?!" Deuce said, voice rising with each word. Atreo and Grim took a step back from the tension between the two.

"Ha. You talk big for someone worse at magic than me. Go alone if you want. I'm done." Ace snarked back, turned around, and was about to leave if it weren't for Deuce placing his hand, squeezing Ace's shoulder.

Ace, irritated that Deuce stopped him, he twirled back around but didn't get to say anything as Deuce well, didn't act like the Deuce any of them knew. Deuce had wild eyes, his upper lip into a snarl, showing more teeth and gum as he punched his hand into the other one, showing he meant business. 

"Oh is that right?! Then stay right there cowering, like the spineless coward you are!" Deuce snapped, taking a step towards Ace who grinned, eyes lighting up in a wicked way. "Huh?~ Coward eh? Who are you exactly referring to?" Ace said, eyes glinting before his eyes narrowed in anger. 

Grim and Atreo watched this down, glanced at each other before looking back. "U - uhm. Deuce. Did you switch up your character or something? Maybe this guy has a split personality," Grim whispered to Atreo who didn't agree nor did. She just didn't know what to make with that information.

"Huh? Oh, uhm, ahem," Deuce cleared his throat, posture straight and fist to his mouth as he seems to take reigns of himself. As he did this everyone glanced at each other, curious at the change. "My bad, I lost my composure," Deuce said, looking extremely apologetic.

Atreo groaned. "What now? Do we just use magic to fight against the monster or something?" Deuce shook his head, sighing. "As the Headmaster said earlier, magic isn't all-powerful. If you can't imagine it, then it won't materialize. Large-scale or complicated magic requires a lot of training." Deuce said factly.

"But," Ace interjected, "That's why we have schools that teach you about magic and how to utilize them. You have to practice a lot to use magic just as it comes to mind. Though, you'll mess up more if you don't have yourself calm and collected." 

"If that's the case then every one of you has been using it like crazy." Atreo pointed out, looking a little concerned. Ace waved the concern off. "Well if you been doing it for so long, at that point, it's just instincts."

"Back to the topic of the crystal," Deuce interrupted making Ace groan and roll his eyes. "At any rate, I'm going in there. I'll figure out how to beat that thing and come back with a magic crystal." Deuce said, reading to make his way back to the cave to fight the monster when Ace said something that made Deuce's blood boil.

"Eh, are you sure you should? I mean, judging by the chandelier incident, you're a complete idiot. You couldn't land a single hit earlier, but now you'll 'figure it out'? It's going to end the same." Ace said, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

"Excuse me?! You really think that I-" "Here they go again," Grim mumbled, Atreo hearing him clearly. Her wound throbbed and she didn't want to deal with it any longer. "Will you two knock it off?!" Atreo snarled at the two who were about to bicker. Everyone was shocked at the sudden intervention and looked at Atreo. 

"Wah, why are you yelling all of the sudden," Grim whimpered, holding his ears. Atreo glared at Grim to shut up before sighing, crossing her arms. "I don't think people who didn't do jack shit deserve to talk so highly about themselves." Atreo said, "Neither of you guys did anything to affect the monster."

All three of them wince at the cold truth. "Guh... B - but what exactly should we do?" Deuce asked, looking as lost as a puppy would. "We should come up with a proper strategy," Atreo said with a serious face and tone. Ace took note of that.

"Strategy? You mean get along and work together? Ha! That's gold. You have no problem saying lame things with a serious face though huh?" Ace said, frowning as he tried to make a jab at Atreo who only narrowed her eyes at him but didn't retort.

"Agreed, there is no way I'm working with this loser," Deuce said motioning towards Ace who just gave him a nasty look. Grim piped up before anyone could say anything else. 

"Eh, but I think it's lamer to be expelled on the first day of school, don't you agree henchman?" Grim asked, looking at Atreo innocently. Atreo nodded in agreement, "Super lame. Imagine being talked by other students that people called Ace and Deuce were expelled from school on the first day," Atreo smirked. Ace started to talk but stopped himself, not sure how to respond to that.

Seems like Ace cares about appearances after all. "Hah... Fine! We just have to get it done, right?! So, what's your plan?" Ace asked, annoyed at himself that he caved in. Deuce sighed. Atreo started to think and thankfully, her last two brain cells were working together. Her eyes widen and looked at the three, about to tell them the plan.

Before Atreo could open her mouth on the plan she came up with, Deuce looked at her, probably about to apologize to her but then stayed quiet, eyes wide. At first, Atreo was confused as to why he was looking at her like a fish out of water.

Ace who was just as confused looked at Atreo before widening his eyes as well. "Holy shit! You're bleeding!" He pointed at her shoulder, finger shaking a bit. Atreo blinked before nodding. "Yeah, I know. Honestly right now? It hurts like a fucking bitch but I can just hope we go home soon so I can get this cleaned up."

Deuce frowned, looking guilty while Ace turned his face away, not wanting Atreo to see his raw emotions. "I... I'm so sorry Atreo. You got injured on my behalf, and all because I was being selfish." Deuce said, looking at the floor angrily and fists tighten. Ace stayed quiet, not saying anything.

Atreo hummed, trying not to hiss from the injury throbbing and burning. "Well, yeah but I'm sure everyone here was selfish." Atreo pointed out. Ace looked at her finally, Grim tilted his head while Deuce closed his eyes shut forcefully. 

"Grim's selfish because he wanted to go to a school that didn't invite him," Cue Grime grunting in annoyance and 'hmphed' while looking away. "Then Ace was selfish because he didn't want to clean," Ace scoffed and rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. "Deuce, you're selfish because you don't want to be expelled when you know we could all die from this monster." Deuce flinched and bowed, about to apologize but Atreo stopped him.

"And... I'm selfish. Asking things from the headmaster, having someone make me some clothes, taking over someone's home. If you think about it in that way, then, I say I'm pretty selfish right?" Their heads jolted up, looking at Atreo in shock. "Yeah, I'm pretty selfish," Atreo laughed humorlessly.

"Yet, despite that, we still feel things, we're still human. We live, we die, etcetera." Atreo said. "Even though our selfish actions got us here, let's end it with our strategy," Atreo said. "So here's the plan." They all formed a circle and Atreo told them the plan she had in mind.

* * *

From the small cottage house, they were all now at the entrance of the mining cave. Everyone was far away from each other, on the spots where Atreo instructed them to be. The silence was suffocating before Grim broke it.

"Ne, do you think this will actually work?" Grim said, his tail flickering around nervously. "N - not that I'm sca- no, it's just, nervousness happening," Grim gulped audibly. Atreo stood next to Grim, eyes staring into his small shaking form.

"It's normal to be nervous. We don't know the outcome so of course, we're scared of what would happen if the plan doesn't work." Grim 'eeped', jolting at the thought. Atreo crouched down and patted his head, ignoring the burning of her shoulder. 

"Don't worry so much about it. I'm sure it'll work." At that Grim sighed, slumping forward. Atreo twitched her fingers on his fur as she felt her small comforting smile to a sadistic grin. "If not then we'll just have to accept our fate," She cackled quietly. Grim screeched before running away as far as he could from Atreo.

Ace who overheard the entire thing sighed, "You guys are being too loud that even I could hear you!" Ace said loudly. Oh, the irony. Nonetheless, Ace came over near the duo. He noticed how stiff Atreo was though. Ace came up behind Atreo and lightly slapped the back of her head. 

Atreo's head slightly went forward before turning her head to the side to glare at whoever did it. "Haha, you're too stiff!" Ace laughed, eyes closed. "Just go with the flow." Ace said, opening his eyes to stare down into Atreo's green ones. "If it doesn't work then we'll force it to work," Ace said grinning confidently. "Anyways let's get this over with!"

Ace turned around and went back to his spot while Deuce soon took Ace's spot near Atreo. "Hey... " Deuce said, still looking guilty. Atreo blinked. "Yeah?" Atreo inquired, tilting her head a bit. Deuce bit his bottom lip out of nervousness and glanced away. "U - uhm... I - is there something I can do to make it up to you?"

Atreo hummed, putting on her thinking face then smiled. "Well right now I don't have anything in mind but I'll keep that in mind okay? Besides, we gotta focus so we can get that crystal so you and Ace can still attend school." Atreo said, getting a bit bashful as she grinned happily.

Deuce looked at her like she was some goddess before he tightened his fists. "T - thank you." He said, his cheeks and ears tinged with pink. Atreo waved her hand dismissively. "Get to your spot so we can get this over with. I still need to hurry up and get this injury cleaned," Atreo said, gesturing to her shoulder.

Deuce nodded before going back to his designated spot. Atreo glanced around, seeing the wind softly breeze through the forest. She looked at everyone who looked ready to do what they were told to do. "It's game time," Atreo whispered to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC: OH NO NOT THE CLOTHES, ITS THE ONLY CLEAN PAIR I HAVE (sobs)
> 
> One braincell trio: It's okay, you can always get new ones!!
> 
> MC: (sobs harder cuz she's broke)


	18. Chapter 17: United Front First

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if I use the warning here or not but if so then someone tell me so I can put it here

With everyone in their perspective spots, the plan was ready to go. Deuce and Ace on either side yet far away from the entrance, hiding in the bushes while Grim and Atreo were standing right in front of the cave opening. 

Everyone looked at each other to see if everything was placed in the right area. So far so good. Atreo put a thumbs up to Ace and Deuce, nodding her head. Grim saw the exchange and let out a shaky sigh. Grim inhaled and then yelled. 

"Hey, beasty! O - o - o-over here!" Grim screeched. Silence, seconds passing then a loud echoing roar from the cave. They all subconsciously shuddered. Ten minutes when by as they heard the thundering steps of the faceless creature came towards them. It was getting louder and louder.

Soon, it showed up. It made a growling yet mixed with a gurgling noise. "LEAVE!" It hollered loudly, making Atreo and Grim flinch. Speaking of, the monster saw the two of them. Immediately it started to stomp towards them. 

"Gah! It's coming!" Grim yowled, climbing onto Atreo's body, fur standing up. "Hey!" Atreo put her hands on both sides of her mouth and yelled. "Over here beasty! Come this way!" The monster went after them. If it could think, it would think that it would be easier to kill two birds with one stone.

As it neared the duo it growled. "There... thief... two." It counted only Atreo and Grim "Won't give... Mine. MINE!" It said with a shrill tone before punching towards the two, swinging the fist with the lantern. Atreo dodged in time, stumbling at the sudden punch.

Grim latched himself on Atreo's head. "Pyah! You're so lucky you dodged in time! It looks like it would've knocked you out if the punch hit you!" Grim noting the actions. Atreo didn't say anything but had to agree mentally. If she didn't dodge in time, she would've been more injured than the cut on her shoulder.

"No time to talk about that! For now, our job is to get it away from the tunnel as far as possible!" Atreo said, before turning her body away and running away from near the entrance of the cave. 

The monster noticed and howled in frustration. "Go away! GO AWAY!" It shrieked before chasing down the intruders. Atreo kept taking glances at the monster, wondering when it was good enough for the plan to officially start. 

"Grim," Atreo said, noticing that she kept stumbling where she wasn't paying attention due to looking behind her. "Hmm?" Grim said, looking down at her, curious as to why she called his name. "I need you to do something for me," Atreo panted, legs aching a bit. Grim tilted his head.

"I need you to look behind me and tell me how far the monster is away from the tunnel," Atreo said, jumping over a log. _'Not this time!'_ Atreo smirked. Grim pouted but didn't say anything as he turned his head to keep an eye on the monster and its distance from the cave opening. 

"Ah! It's pretty far from the tunnel now!" Grim said, alerting Atreo. Atreo grinned before shouting. "Now!" She hollered before skidding into a bush then crouched down. 

Grim hopped off her head to join the others. Both of the males got up from the bushes, pointing their magic pens at the monster. Grim standing between them slightly quivering at the monster's enormous build. The monster saw that the duo now turned into a trio and slowed down, hesitating on who to go after. 

Everyone took advantage of the monster's hesitation. "Ok, I got this! Let's go, extra-large tempest!" Ace said, grinning at first before making a serious face, summoning large gusts of wind. Grim also grinned before getting serious. "Plus the Great Grim's Fire Special! FNGAH" Then the fire suddenly intermingled with Ace's gusts of wind.

Soon the wind and fire made a circle around the monster, trapping it inside of the circle of fire. It made a noise of pain and surprise. "Guah?!" Still summoning large wind gusts, Ace couldn't help but laugh. 

The wind gusts fanned the flames. "Ohohoh? How's this! I can even fan Grim's shoddy flames into an inferno!" Ace said, sounding like he just made a huge discovery and got a gold medal as a reward for it. Grim was offended, "It's not shoddy! Ugh, every word out of your mouth ticks me off!" Grim hissed out.

Atreo saw the monster was cornered and shifted out of the bush she was hiding in. "The monster is caught in the fire tornado!" She turned around to see Deuce. "Now's our chance!" Atreo pointed at the monster seeing Deuce hesitate. "Don't hesitate!" She hollered at Deuce.

Deuce flinched at her loudness, hesitating even more. Atreo saw this and ran up to him as fast as she could, keeping an eye on the ambushed monster. As she got near, she looked into Deuce's eyes, eyes widened like an insane person's would. Deuce felt himself shiver at the blank yet intimidating eyes.

"I'm no hunter but the moment that flaming tornado goes down, the monster will come after all of us, especially since we provoked it enough. Now," Atreo placed one of her hands on Deuce's shoulder. "Relax, and put your focus on something heavy, heavy enough to hold the monster down long enough okay?" She patted his shoulder before going back to the others just in case they need support.

Deuce gulped. He knows that if he fucks up, not just Atreo will be injured and he knows the guilty conscience will weigh him down. Deuce inhaled and exhaled a couple of times. "Calm down," He muttered to himself. "Focus. Take aim." His brows furrowed as he tried to think of the heaviest thing he knows.

"The biggest, heaviest thing I know," Deuce murmured, eyes closed as he focused as hard as he could. "Ah!" Deuce opened his eyes wide before waving his magic pen a bit then pointed at the monster in the middle of the circle of fire. "Come forth cauldron!" Deuce said. 

Then suddenly, a huge cauldron, bigger than the one that had landed on Ace previously appeared high above the monster. None of them noticed till they all stopped. "W - what's that whistling noise?" Grim asked, ears folded to the side.

At first Ace and Atreo looked at each other, confused about what Grim was saying before they heard it as well. Since they all stopped, that means so did the multiple gusts of wind and Grim's blue fire. The monster noticed that and immediately went to go after them.

"Shit!" Ace and Atreo cursed simultaneously, running away. Atreo stopped abruptly then looked back. Grim was still there! "Grim!" Atreo yelled, turning her body back to the direction. "Grim! Get away from there!" Atreo screamed, running back as fast as she could.

Grim didn't hear her. Grim froze at the sight of the monster. The faceless creature raised the arm that held the giant pickaxe. The whistling got louder and nearer. The creature swung. Grim closed his eyes as tears began to fall out of them.

The creature roared as it swung but the roar was cut off. A loud thud and cracking were heard. Grim hesitantly opened his eyes, sniffling thinking he might've died. Then he blinked his eyes, not believing what he saw. A big cauldron was sitting on top of the monster. Cracks that were on the monster previously were now bigger.

The monster groaned in pain, ink spilling out more due to the bigger cracks the cauldron made. Everyone whipped their head towards Deuce who was jogging his way towards the rest. "Is everyone alright?" He huffed out as he stood next to them, looking at the monster on the hard ground.

Although Grim was shaking, probably seeing his life flash before his eyes, Grim put a thumbs up. "W - we did it. N - nice work everyone," Grim croaked out. Atreo scooped him up, patting his back at a pace where it would calm him down. 

After a few seconds of Grim whimpering, he sniffled and rubbed away the tears. Guess Grim was feeling better as he pointed out something. "Hey, look! The monster looks flat as a pancake just like Ace was earlier!" Grim said, laughing, though the laugh had a wobbled tone to it.

Ace pouted, "You don't need to bring that up again! Jeez, today just isn't my day." Ace grumbled. Atreo wouldn't admit it but she was glad that Ace didn't bother to argue with Grim. "Let's go get the magic crystal while that thing can't move!" Deuce instructed, making the others snap their head to look at him. They all nodded their head in agreement and ran off to the caves.

Before they left, the monster heard what Deuce said and made a noise of surprise. "WAIT!" It growled out, the voice distorted yet the panic in the tone could be heard. No one was there to hear it however. The monster struggled against the heavy cauldron that sat on top of it.

Once inside the cave, the two of them looked around fast as they could, knowing that their time was extremely limited. They had Grim and Ace at the entrance as the lookout. "Oi! Hurry up! The monster is starting to wiggle its way out!" Ace said, observing the monster.

Atreo and Deuce started to dig a bit around the walls till Atreo found it. It was very shiny and colors danced around within it. "Deuce!" She said, showing him the crystal. Deuce's eyes widened before nodding his head. Atreo pocketed the crystal in her back jean pocket.

"Deuce!" The other two called out his name, sweating bullets as the monster yelled. "HANDS OFF!" Its distorted voice came through. Deuce ran to the others, while Atreo took some time to take extra crystals to sell to Crowley or have them be exchanged for some currency.

"Shit! That thing is almost free!" Ace cursed, seeing it try to wiggle free from the cauldron. And it did. It marched towards them and was now inside the mines. Grim saw it and turned to Deuce, ears flickering with annoyance as each one of them back away, running a bit. "Then just throw more stuff on it!" 

Deuce then started to panic. "Ehm, something heavy?! Uhm... C - come forth! Cauldron!" A cauldron appeared and slammed itself on top of the monster. The monster groaned again, as more ink spilled from the glass bottle that was its head. It didn't struggle as much this time.

Seeing it still struggle, however, Deuce summoned another one, "And, um, um, cauldron!?" He yelled, confused as to what other object was heavy but the only thing he could think of was cauldrons. Soon the cauldron he summoned fell on top next to the other one, somehow being able to balance itself.

"One more! Cauldron!" Deuce said, summoning the last one so far. The monster grunted in pain, letting out a noise while Grim and Ace looked at Deuce. Disbelief was written all over their face. Grim just sweatdropped, his mouth thinned into a blank face. Ace on the other hand looked at Deuce like he was the crazy lady with a thousand cats that lived on the end street of a neighborhood.

"Do you have nothing but cauldrons in your repertoire!?" Ace asked eyeing Deuce like he was some sort of wild animal. Deuce really did look like one at the moment. "Shut up! I'm at my wits' end over here!" Deuce retorted back eyes wide yet somehow looking pissed off.

Before they could start arguing, Grim summoned his fire between the two, and fire around the monster. "No pointless arguing!" Grim hissed out before turning towards where Atreo was. "Are you almost done?!" Grim screeched out.

Atreo was busy stuffing her pockets with crystals when she heard three loud thumps. She can only guess that Deuce made something heavy to weigh the monster down. That meant that she might not have enough time to more. Atreo tched before getting up from crouching. Patting her front and back pockets, only one back pocket wasn't filled and that was for the magic crystal. 

Just as she got up, she heard Grim yelling at her. She sighed before jogging her way towards the other three. She winced as the crystals stabbed her upper legs but hey, hopefully, the money was worth it. As she arrived, Grim whipped his head to look at her then back to the boys. "Alright, we got the crystal! Time to skedaddle now!"

The boys turned around to see Atreo and deadpanned at her filled pockets. "What's that?" Ace pointed out her pockets while Deuce sighed, shaking his head with disappointment. "What's what?" Atreo asked back innocently, fully knowing what Ace was talking about.

"Okay smart ass," Ace mocked back, "Why do you have crystals in your pockets? Where's the magic one at?" At this Atreo grinned before turning around and showing her behind. The boys flushed pink and looked away, somehow feeling second-hand embarrassment.

She patted one of the back pockets. "Right here! I didn't fill this one because I knew I would be confused about which one it would be in. That and it would be a pain to try and find it when the other crystals would bury it." She shrugged, not caring why the boys looked like tomatoes.

"Anyways let's go!" She said, "At least before the monster breaks free." Atreo said, gesturing towards the wiggling monster in front of them. All of them saluted, shouting a 'Roger!' before running around the monster who tried to swipe at their feet but they were too fast. 

The last one to run around the monster was Atreo. Right before she left the cave, she turned around to face the monster which was now trying its hardest to get out from underneath the three cauldrons as fast as it could. Atreo couldn't help but feel sorry for it.

"Sorry bud, it's either you or them. Last time I checked, you weren't getting a school expulsion like they are." Atreo gestured towards the boys who stopped momentarily to see if Atreo was behind her then began to yell at her from a distance to hurry it up.

Atreo looked at the three, then glanced back at the monster. "Bye. I'm sorry it had to end like this." With those parting words, Atreo ran after the trio who waited for her, then all four of them proceeded to book it into the thick forest. 

The monster roared as it moved around, trying to get the cauldrons off of itself. "That... is... MINE!" The yell vibrating throughout the entire cave, and forest. The four who were now jogging lightly heard the yell and whipped their heads around to see if the monster was chasing them.

They all stopped to see. Nothing at first then they felt the vibrations of the cauldrons hitting the ground, or that's what they assumed what it was. In the distance, they heard birds chirping then flying away from whatever was disturbing them. It was getting closer. Everyone froze and glanced at each other.

"T - there's no way... right?" Ace asked nervously, eyes darting back and forth. No one answered him. Well someone did, but it certainly wasn't anyone that was near him. They heard a roar echo throughout the forest. "You got your answer Ace!" Atreo said, spinning her body to run away from the loud noise.

The boys followed her example and ran for their lives, suddenly hearing thumping steps behind them. They turned around to see _who_ was making those thundering steps. They were shocked yet not surprised it was the monster was chasing them. 

The monster turned its attention to the people who were fleeing away from it. It let out a distorted grunt before chasing them down. All of them glanced back then made a noise of fear as they all saw the monster was gaining on them. _'Please let me come out of this alive! I haven't even lost my virginity!'_ Atreo mentally cried as they all jumped over a long log. The monster bulldozed through like it was nothing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MC filling up her pockets with crystals to get money: (whistling while taking her time)
> 
> The trio: pLS HURRY UP WE GONNA D I E


	19. Chapter 18: Tenacious Chase

The monster chased them down the path that was nearing the small cottage house. "You're kidding!? It knocked off all that stuff and came after us?!" Ace said, glancing back at the creature who would bulldoze its way through tree trunks and stubborn bushes.

Before anyone could reply to Ace, the monster spoke. "Uh... Ugh! Give it... ba-... ck!" It yelled as its shoulders would bump harshly against the trees, tiny bits of clothing would be torn off in the process. "Geh, its voice is so distorted my ears are starting to go deaf!" Atreo exclaimed.

Deuce took a glance back. "Shit! It's gonna catch up to us!" With those words, everyone took a quick glance at the monster chasing them. All of them noticed that the faceless creature was starting to stumble with its footing and was slowing down greatly. 

"But it's weaker! Now we might... just go for it!" Atreo turned around as the creature took a great fall to the ground, ink spilling everywhere as it hit the floor. Atreo couldn't help but wince at the scene.

Ace was the first one to notice that she had stopped who was feet away from the creature which was struggling to get up. "Ah! Fine, fine! Let's finish it then!" Ace stopped himself suddenly, skidding on the ground a bit, his foot slipping out underneath. He hissed as he felt his ankle start to hurt.

"Hey, Mr. Serious!" Ace called over his shoulder, making Deuce stop and turn back, a bewildered expression on his face. "C'mon! Let's end this!" Deuce made a shocked expression at the suggestion before grinning the nodding his head as he ran back towards the other two.

Grim who was sitting on Atreo's non-injured shoulder jumped down next to her. "Then I'll show off my true power!" Grim said, summoning fire around him, encasing a ring of fire around the monster who struggled to get up due to the ink spillage around him.

Both Deuce and Ace caught up to Atreo and Grim, pointing their magic pens at the monster who was finally up from the ground. "Hey Mr. Serious, don't let me down!" Ace said, squinting one eye while the other was wide. Deuce had a glum expression, "You too!"

The battle began. Wind spells from Ace, a fire circle around the monster by Grim, and Deuce who was now throwing heavyweight objects on the monster. Atreo stood there, looking around on how to help them out.

Atreo's eyes fluttered, between the trio that was battling the monster and said monster. Even though they just started, one could tell they were getting tired, and seeing them look so withered, exhausted, set Atreo on the edge. Seeing the monster somehow gather the energy to throw punches, Atreo turned around. 

She tried to make up a plan in her mind before her sight zeroed in on the cottage that was up ahead. Then her brain decided to remind her about the pickaxe that was on the table. Atreo whirled back around. "Hey! I'll be right back!" She shouted before running to the cottage.

The trio heard her but couldn't stop her. "Agh, why'd she have to go at a time like this?!" Ace yelled out, dodging a fist in time while Deuce and Grim kept doing their own thing. "I don't know but at least she's from harm's way!" Deuce said as he jumped away in time, grunting.

Grim turned away for a split second, looking to see where Atreo ran off to. His ear flickered before focusing his attention on the monster. "She'll be fine," He reassured the other two. "I believe in her!" Grim said, summoning more fire, though his magic was starting to go out.

Atreo busted her way into the small house, eyes adjusting to the darkness rather slowly. She stumbled her way through the house, bumping into the small stools, brushing her hand on the dirty dusty table. 

She could hear the monster's roar get louder. She glanced at the busted doorway before turning her gaze on the pickaxe that was still on the table. Right where she left it. She grabbed the handle of the pickaxe, hands resting on it. Atreo huffed, before lifting it off the table.

Her arms shook as expected. "Let's just hope my arms can last me long enough to take a hit on him," She said in a grim voice. Atreo's injured shoulder burned as if the sun was burning its rays on her. She winced, knowing it was because her shoulder was tense due to the pickaxe and her arms strained.

Nonetheless, she walked fast out of the small house, huffing heavily as her arms trembled at the weight of the pickaxe. "Oi! Make it trip or something!" Atreo yelled out, nearing the group sluggishly. Deuce was the one who looked back to see if she was okay since he wasn't casting any spells at the moment.

His eyes immediately saw the pickaxe in her hold before nodding with a serious expression. "Oi! You two!" Both Grim and Ace looked at Deuce. "Let's go all out," Deuce said, eyes squinted. At first Ace and Grim didn't understand till they saw Atreo picking her pace up with an object in her hands.

They both nodded then looked at the monster who noticed that they all had stopped. It lunged. All at once, they did the biggest spells they did. Ace did the biggest wind spell, the wind gusts forming a tornado while Grim flung huge fireballs into the tornado. Deuce with the enormous cauldron he's ever summoned, threw the cauldron into the flaming tornado. 

The trio's combo messed up the monster really good yet it was still alive, still lunging towards them with its flaming attire, ink spilling out each time it moved. The trio huffed, exhausted from magic overuse, and right as the monster leaped towards them, Atreo appeared.

Determined to save her acquaintances... no friends, she swung the pickaxe right into the monster's glass bottle head. The moment she swung, the glass shattered, ink spilling everywhere on Atreo. Thankfully none of the ink splattered on her wound but the same couldn't be said for the clothes she had received from Mr. Crewel.

The body fell to the floor with a thud, dirty kicked up. Silence as they all huffed for oxygen. Atreo let the pickaxe slip from her hands. It landed next to the shattered glass head and its body, ink spilling out slowly.

"We... did it?" Ace huffed out, staring at the body as it started to... slowly disintegrate? How weird. Atreo went over to poke at it but Deuce grabbed her arm, shaking his head at her. She pursed her lips into a pout but didn't make any attempts to fight back.

"W - we won... ? We actually won?!" Grim said jaw slack before cheering loudly. Ace let out a sigh of relief before a smile took over his features while Deuce celebrated vocally, putting a fist in the air. "We did it!" Ace said, putting a fist in the air as well while Grim jumped around happily.

"Victory high-five!" Grim said before jumping into a float, a paw raised for a high-five. Ace and Deuce were caught up in their moment as they all subconsciously yelled 'Yay!' and high-fived each other. 

It was as if time slowed down. Atreo's green eyes stared wistfully at the smiling yet exhausted trio. If Atreo had a camera right now, she would've taken a picture, just to remember this beautiful moment. Atreo put a hand over her mouth, to cover the growing genuine smile as her eyes lidded, relaxed.

Moment gone, Atreo put her hand down as her mischievous side came on. "You're all getting along now huh? Is this that 'adversity brings people together?' thing I heard a lot about?" She teased, seeing them immediately separate from each other.

"A - ah! N - no! This is nothing like that!" Deuce said, face pink as he looked away from Atreo, pursing his lips into a thin line, yet one could see his twitching eyebrows. Ace was no better. 

"Y - yeah! Could you stop saying weird things?" Ace said, ruffling his hair as he glanced away, face red compared to Deuce. Ace put one of his hands in his pocket and grumbled silently to himself. Atreo snickered, eyes twinkling with mirth. 

"W - we won, thanks to my cleverness of course!" Grim stuttered, "It's not because we pooled our strength!" Grim crossed his arms. Ace laughed while Deuce smiled sheepishly, still not looking at Atreo. Atreo smiled and shook her head in mock disbelief but didn't say anything.

As Atreo was about to say something, Ace stepped forth, supporting a sheepish smile now. "I guess making excuses is pretty lame huh? I hate to admit it but we won thanks to your plan." Ace said. Atreo blinked, not sure how to react. Thankfully she didn't need to.

Deuce also stepped forward. "True. We got the magic crystal because you gave us level headed instructions." Deuce said looking straight into Atreo's eyes, a genuine smile on his face before he realized what was happening, and glanced away, coughing into his fist as his ears burned with red.

"We can prevent our expulsion this way. I'm so relieved." Deuce said, feeling his body relax from the tension. Atreo didn't realize it but Ace and Deuce thanking her made her face burn. She put her cold hands on her cheeks to cool them down. Ace chuckled seeing her action.

"Well," Atreo sniffed, propping her head high, chest puffed out to show how proud she was from their thanks. Ace rolled his eyes playfully while Deuce chuckled. "It was honestly thanks to your teamwork. Without it, well I don't think we'd like to imagine that." Atreo sighed.

"But one thing that's for sure, I'm glad no one was gravely injured," Atreo beamed. Ace sassily pointed a finger at her shoulder, which now didn't hurt as much as it did previously. "Guess you don't really count yourself then huh?" He said, giving her a look while Atreo looked abashed.

"Well anyways. We're all relieved that no one was hurt, except Atreo," Ace said, gesturing to Atreo who rolled her eyes mumbling an 'it doesn't even hurt anymore.' "Although we're definitely worn out and battered. Let's go home yeah?" Ace whined.

Before anyone could begin to walk away, Grim groaned loudly, capturing the attention of the others who looked at him. Everyone glanced at each other worriedly before Atreo crouched down to Grim. "What's wrong?" She asked, concern written all over her face.

"I'm starving from using so much magic!" Grim exclaimed, holding his tummy as it growled loudly, making the others wince knowing the pain too well. Something caught Grim's attention. "Hmm, what's that?" Grim asked, pointing to what looked like coal but with a shiny coat over it.

That's when they all realized that the body of the monster was fully gone, and in its place, was a coal-like gem. "Remenants from the monster perhaps?" Deuce said, grabbing the crystal, inspecting it closely. "A magic crystal... ? But I've never seen one pitch-black like coal before," Deuce said, muttering to himself.

Grim started to sniff loudly before eyes going wide and ears flickering around. "Eh, this thing smells really good!" Grim blurted out. Various reactions were presented. "Ew! No way!" Ace said, gagging a bit before looking away as to not think about what Grim was saying. Atreo looked blank, no emotions were present while Deuce grimaced.

Grim jumped at Deuce, swiping away the coal-like crystal as Deuce flinched from the sudden move. "Ah, this has to be candy that monster was hiding! Oh, I can't hold back! Time to dig in!" Grim said before opening up his mouth to chew on it. 

"Hey! No! Spit it out! Spit it out!" Atreo said, lunging for Grim to snatch the crystal away from Grim. Grim saw this and immediately stuffed the gem down his throat. "No!" Atreo yelled, grabbing Grim and prying his jaws open but it was too late. He already swallowed it.

"Ugh!" Grim made a noise of discomfort and Atreo let go in fear that she might've hurt him. "You alright?!" Deuce asked, arms frantically going everywhere, secretly worried that Grim was going to choke. Last time he checked no one here was qualified to save a life.

"Ah, that's why you don't eat things off the ground." Ace said in a chiding tone. Grim trembled as the others glanced at each other, worried as to what would happen next. "D... " The human trio leaned forward, curious as to what Grim was going to say. 

"D - d - delicious!" Grim yowled out, looking as happy as Grim can be. "WHAT?!" Both Ace and Deuce said in unison while Atreo sighed, facepalming like a stressed parent. 

"It's full-bodied, but also rich, with an aromatic sweetness that blooms in my mouth! Like a whole field of flowers in my mouth!" Ace faked gagged while Atreo looked at Grim with a blank look. "Wait, you ate flowers by itself?" She asked. Everyone ignored her.

"Blegh, monsters really do have different tastes than us," Ace said, frowning in disgust. Deuce nodded in agreement. "I guess so. Most people wouldn't even put a mystery object in their mouth to begin win," Deuce said, sighing as he shook his head. 

"I guess monsters are omnivores... but even then, I don't think they would eat coal-like crystals," Atreo sweatdropped while Deuce made a noise of agreement. "Gahaha! It was tasty, tasty! Don't worry my stomach is weak like human stomachs are!" Grim bragged.

The human trio glared at Grim for the insult before sighing, shaking their heads as they dismissed it. "Well don't come to me if it starts hurting or when you get sick from it then." Ace said before obviously gesturing towards Atreo who at that point, was a sighing machine.

"Switching gears, let's go back to the headmaster so we can give him the magic crystal and to get you treated," Deuce said, looking at Atreo as she whistled innocently. Ace nodded his head in agreement. "Oh yeah definitely. If we don't clean that, it could get infected and leave more than just a nasty scar." Ace frowned.

Atreo looked at her wound before accepting her fate. "Fine. Let's go then." Soon they all walked past the small house, and into the big field. A comfortable silence fell between the four. "Hey, uhm..." Ace started, making everyone glance at him.

"I just want to say... I'm sorry." At that Grim, Deuce, and Atreo glanced at each other before back to Ace. "To whom?" Deuce asked, curious about who the apology was meant for. Ace pursed his lips as his ears turned red. 

"Well, it can be to everyone but it's mostly to Atreo." Ace said keeping his head straight and not looking at anyone. Grim and Atreo had a look of surprise while Deuce smiled a bit, turning his head forward as a way to respect Ace's choice to apologize.

"Huh? Me? Why?" Atreo asked, flustered that someone was apologizing to her. It's been a while since she got a genuine sorry, especially coming from someone as thickheaded as Ace. Five minutes of silence as Atreo drilled her gaze into Ace. 

"W - well... when we first met, you gave me a piece of information about yourself. I don't know if it was vulnerable to you but I felt like it was. Then after that, I made fun of you without realizing your situation. To be fair, I assumed you were from around here, y'know?" Ace shrugged his shoulders, trying not to let his flustered state show.

Atreo stared at him before letting out a little laugh. Ace assumed she was laughing at him so he looked at her, ready to give her a piece of his mind but Atreo stopped him with her hand.

"Apology accepted though it's more like so we can both have a sense of peace in our brains. Although," Atreo said glaring at Ace a bit, "What kind of environment you grew up in to have such an attitude? I was semi-nice to you when we first met yet you were acting like a gremlin." Atreo teased.

Ace grumbled, "Man I don't want to talk about it. Let's just get there, give the crystal, and clean you up." Atreo didn't press on the subject but smile. "Thanks for the apology then. It means a lot." Atreo said as they approached the floating mirror. Deuce said the words from before except replacing it with 'Night Raven College' instead of 'Dwarf's Mine.'

The mirror glinted before one by one, they entered the mirror. Atreo was the last one to go in. She glanced back to the field and saw a silhouette of a small person looking at her. Her eyes widen as the person gave a minuscule smile and waved at her. 

Before she can say anything, two hands grabbed her sweater and yanked her into the mirror. As she was being pulled into the mirror she heard the wind whisper to her, the words bringing her to tears. "Thank you, now I can finally rest in peace and join everyone else," It said in a rough tone. Atreo let a tear slip by as she was fully pulled in the mirror.


	20. Chapter 19: Reconsideration Miracle

Atreo tumbled out of the mirror. She landed on her injured shoulder and let out a muffled scream. Immediately the ones who yanked her helped her to her feet, apologizing profusely. Deuce checked the wound to see if it was fine. It was bleeding more now since the blood previously dried up and the injury had gotten irritated.

"What's going on?" The headmaster's voice rang throughout the room, making everyone stiffen up. Heads whipped to see the headmaster walking into the mirror chamber. "H - headmaster!" All of them squeaked out in nervousness. Atreo looked at the ground trying to cover her bleeding wound.

Regardless he saw it as she saw the trio flinch from the loud sudden gasp coming from the headmaster. "Oh my goodness what happened?!" Crowley asked as he walked faster towards the four. He pushed the Deuce and Ace out of the way to inspect Atreo's cut.

"My goodness! How did you get this?! Quick let's get to the nurse's office to patch you up. You might need to get some stitches, I don't know yet. The nurse will know." Crowley said in a hurry, ushering Atreo to the nurse's office. The rest followed closely after them.

* * *

The nurse tched seeing Atreo's shoulder injury but then Atreo cheekily brought up that she didn't get her hand scraps treated either. The nurse quickly treated Atreo's hand injuries, cleaning them, and bandaging them.

The nurse quickly checked on the shoulder wound before sighing. "Thankfully it won't need any stitching but you will need to wear this big bandage over it." The nurse said, handing Atreo a few packets of them. "When you shower, change them so the bandages can be fresh to use. Right now I'm going to clean it so it's going to burn."

Loud muffled yells were heard. Anyone that was passing by the nurse's office shuffled faster away from the room. Atreo was groaning loudly as if she was announcing to the world that she was in great unbearable pain. The nurse shook their head in mock disappointment as they applied a big bandage to her cleaned wound.

"There, all better now right? Go ahead and put back on your clothing. You'll have to fix that up by yourself I'm afraid. I'm not licensed to fix clothing." The nurse said. Atreo sighed but figured that was the case anyhow.

The males stood outside of the room, nervously waiting on the nurse to call them in. The nurse opened the door and let them in. Deuce began to fret over her when the nurse moved away from Atreo. "Does it hurt? Is it uncomfortable?" Deuce would continue to ask Atreo about the injury but Atreo waved him off. 

"It's fine, I figured it was gonna sting but not that bad," Atreo sighed dramatically. Ace seems to catch on to her. "Oh be quiet you big baby," He teased while flicking Atreo on the forehead. "It's good that you're feeling better and all but I need you guys to leave." The nurse ushered the others out including Atreo who was patched up.

Once standing awkwardly in the hallway Crowley coughed into his fist. "Anyways where did you go?" He asked, glowing eyes flickering between the teens who didn't make any eye contact with him at first. They glanced at each other as if to give each other a confidence boost.

Deuce was the brave soul that stepped up. "We went to go find the magic crystal you told us about." Crowley looked briefly surprised. "Eh?! You actually went to the Dwarfs' Mine to find a magic crystal?" Crowley said, baffled that the teens actually listened to him and the location of the previous magic crystal.

"EH?!" Deuce, Ace, Grim, and Atreo yelled in unison. "Well did you get the crystal?" Crowley asked, curious to see if they failed on getting the crystal. Atreo glared at him before grabbing the crystal from her back pocket and presenting it to the headmaster.

Crowley's yellow orbs shrunk at the sight before grabbing the colorful crystal that was shining every color in its black sheen. "I didn't think..." He trailed off before sighing, tapping his chin with his index finger, "Not only did you go, but you actually brought back a crystal. All in the meanwhile, I was quietly completing the paperwork for your expulsion."

Everyone balked at the headmaster's honesty but before any one of them could respond to him, Grim beat all of them. "NGAH! The nerve of this guy! We fought off a beast for that you know! How else did Atreo get that cut on her shoulder?! That she took a nasty fall?!" Grim crossed his arms as he huffed angrily.

One word caught Crowley's attention. "Beast?" He asked curiously, eyes flickering to Atreo's shoulder. Ace was the one who stepped up this time. "Yeah, a monster was there, in the caves! Not only that but it was super gross yet crazy strong! It took forever to take him down! It was such an awful experience," Ace whined towards the end, though had an annoyed expression on his face.

"I see," Crowley said before looking around in the empty hallway. Both Deuce and Ace were confused as to why the headmaster was looking around but Atreo thought it was a suspicious move. "Let's take this to my office shall we?" Crowley said before making his way towards the mentioned place.

Ace and Deuce looked at each other before they looked at Atreo, wondering if she was just as confused but stuttered in their place at her expression. It looked dark. Eyebrows pinched and eyes lidded with suspicion that was aimed at the headmaster. 

Ace hesitantly waved his hand in front of her. That snapped Atreo out of her gaze before looking at Ace. "Huh? Did you say something?" The males exchanged worried glances before both of them shook their heads. "No, but we gotta follow the headmaster. C'mon, we gotta go." Ace said, grabbing Atreo's arm and tugged gently.

Soon all of them had arrived at the headmaster's office. Crowley entered first then the rest did who was looking around the room. The first thing that caught everyone's attention was the floating portraits of The Great Seven. Atreo took note that the room was also very spacious for some reason. Maybe this guy likes to live the high life or something.

Crowley took a seat at his desk while the four (really three because Grim was laying on top of Atreo's head) awkwardly stood in front of the desk. "Now, could you explain more in detail?" He inquired, intertwining his fingers into a lock, elbows on the table as he leaned forward.

With that everyone started to tell what happened and by everyone, it was mostly Atreo. Ace, Grim, and Deuce would every once and a while put their part into the story told by Atreo but one could tell they were embarrassed for their past actions now that it was over.

"Oh-ho. From what I gathered from your recalling, a mysterious monster lived in the coal mine? Then the four of you worked together to defeat it and bring back a magic crystal?" Crowley quizzed. Crowley got a variety of responses.

Atreo nodded with her head, looking extremely proud while Grim shrugged, not caring. Ace pursed his lips at the word 'together' while Deuce sighed. "Well, we didn't really work together... " Ace trailed off while ruffling his hair. Deuce looked away, trying to save some dignity. "Our goals just happened to be aligned is all... " Deuce mumbled.

At first, Crowley was quiet. "Oh... Oooh... Oooooh." At this everyone but Crowley glanced at each other, not sure what was happening. Suddenly Crowley burst into tears, sobbing loudly. At the very least, he sounded like he was fake crying but none of them could tell. 

They started to sweat bullets at the scene, wondering what went wrong and why the headmaster was crying his eyes out. "W - what's with this guy? Why is an adult bursting into tears?" Grim stuttered, flinching at Crowley's loud cries. 

"In all these years that I've been headmaster..." Crowley was able to say despite crying momentarily, croaking out from his loud crying. "For the day to come that students from Night Raven College to go hand-in-hand to face and defeat their enemy! I'm so proud!" He sobbed uncontrollably.

"What!? I did not hold this guy's hand!" Deuce said, now shuffling away from Ace whom who he was next to. "I would never do that, gross!" Ace rebutted, grabbing a smirking Atreo and putting her between Deuce and him. "Not only that but just how old are you anyway headmaster?!"

Crowley ignored him. "I am overwhelmed with emotion." He said. Atreo pursed her lips as Crowley abruptly stopped crying. _'Was he faking this entire time? God, it kinda sounded real I'm not gonna lie. He would be a bit too good at crying scenes in movies.'_

"This incident confirms it Ms. Atreo! Without a doubt, you have talent as a beast tamer!" Atreo blinked her eyes a couple of times. "Huh? Beast tamer? What talent now?" She questioned but silently found it funny that the headmaster indirectly called Ace and Deuce beasts. Looks like the insult went over their heads too. 

"Students of Night Raven College are budding wizards called here by the Dark Mirror. However! They are of a superior class that makes them prideful and egotistical people that have not seen or felt even the slightest inkling to work with others, making many of them selfish and self-centered." Crowley pointed out.

"You're really not saying anything good y'know," Grim said, crossing his arms and looking bored yet also annoyed. At this Atreo slightly looked away from Grim, internally agreeing with the headmaster. When she first met Ace, he was very self-centered. Deuce? Not so much so no complaints there but she agreed with the headmaster's words.

"You cannot use magic," Crowley stated factly. At that Atreo stilled, her entire body tense. It wasn't like the headmaster was wrong but it still hurt to peck at old wounds. It was a constant reminder that she didn't belong in this place, this world, unlike the others. 

"But," Crowley began. Atreo couldn't help but perk up. The others noticed and silently beat themselves up, especially Ace. "Maybe, precisely. the reason you cannot use magic is that you have the means that you could give instructions to wizards and get them to cooperate! Perhaps that mediocrity is exactly what this school needs right now!" Crowley theorized.

"He's not saying anything nice is he!?" Ace said, eyes wide. At this Atreo silently agreed. This guy indirectly called her plain! Nonetheless, she can understand where the headmaster is coming from. She translated that message as 'just knock them down a peg and show them that it's better to have a more meaningful life than just pride.'

"Ms. Atreo," Crowley said, making Atreo snap back to reality from her thoughts. "I do not doubt that your existence is essential to the future of this academy or alas so says my educator-senses!" Crowley said like a dramatic villain that had no idea what he was doing would say.

"Trappola, Spade." At the Deuce and Ace straightened their backs, looking at the headmaster with blank looks, trying not to let their obvious emotions show. "Along with rescinding their expulsion, I shall give you, Atreo, the qualifications to attend Night Raven College as a student!"

All four of them blinked before they shouted simultaneously. "EH?!' Atreo stuttered for a bit. "A - as a student?! But sir, I... I don't have any magic." She pointed out. Crowley hummed. "Yes, as a student, for I am exceedingly gracious to let you attend this school."

"However, like you previously mentioned, you have no magic," Crowley referred. "Becoming a wizard is simply out of the question. You probably will not be able to complete all your lessons." He stated. Ah, the truth hurts, possibly even more than the cut she got on her shoulder!

"That is why Grim will be helping you out," Crowley said, looking over at a shocked Grim. "You have proven to me that you possess enough talent to become a wizard. Therefore, I shall allow the two of you to enroll together, as one full student." 

Atreo quickly looked at Grim, gauging his reaction. _'He's basically wanted this since from the beginning and now he's getting the opportunity to attend his dream school.'_ Atreo thought to herself.

"Fngah?! I... I can go to this academy too? Not as a handyman, but as a student?" Grim asked as if everything was just a dream he was having. His eyes were wide and his nose twitched, probably to check if everything was real by scent.

"Yes, you can, however, provided that you don't ever let an incident like yesterday occur again! Do we have an agreement?" Crowley inquired, narrowing his golden eyes at Grim. Atreo blinked before looking outside a window from his office and was pleasantly surprised it was dark already.

"Fgnh... Fgneh... W - we can... we can attend this school!" Grim teared up, big blobs of tears gathering themselves on the corner of his eyes. Atreo turned around to see Grim about to cry and quickly went to his side, smiling softly. 

"Hey, you did it after all huh? Let's do our best yeah?" She said softly while rubbing his head. Grim sniffled and nodded his head. Both Ace and Deuce smiled despite feeling like they were intruding on an intimate moment. 

Grim wiped away his tears before celebrating. "Fgnah! I did it!" Grim cheered. Atreo just gave a small laugh at his actions. Crowley smiled, feeling some sort of pride from Grim's celebration.

"Well then, I shall give the symbol of your status as a student of Night Raven College, a magic crystal, to Grim." A sudden lavender looking crystal gem appeared, then locked itself onto Grim's little black and white striped bowtie.

"Whoa! A magic crystal!?" Grim gaped as he began to study the crystal in a small mirror that was placed on Crowley's desk. Atreo stepped towards Grim, wanting to see the crystal as well. "Can I see it?" She asked for Grim's permission seeing that it was on Grim himself.

At first, Grim didn't want to, he wanted to say that it was his crystal but he remembered that without Atreo, he wouldn't even be here in this room, with this crystal on the collar around his neck. Besides, this crystal shows the pride of being a student!

"Fine! But only for a little bit!" Grim said, puffing his chest out in obvious pride. Atreo rolled her eyes at Grim's demand but didn't say anything as she got up to Grim's personal bubble to inspect the crystal. It shined brightly as Atreo would turn it in different angles.

"It's such a pretty color," Atreo said. At that Crowley puffed his chest out, similar to what Grim did. "It is isn't it? All dormitories have their own kind of crystals, like Trappola and Spade here." Crowley said, gesturing towards the two. "Meanwhile in a different dormitory, their crystal will be a different color," Crowley explained.

"That is very interesting," Atreo hummed before letting go of Grim's crystal and looked at over Ace and Deuce. "Do you guys mind?" She asked, not wanting to interrupt their personal space just for some crystals. Ace shrugged, not really caring while Deuce became a tomato and began to stutter.

"I guess I'll take that as no then huh?" She sighed but was not exactly bothered by it. "Oh speaking of crystals," Atreo dug into the pockets of her pants, pulling out several crystals that she had gathered from the mines. "Would I be able to get money with these?" She questioned Crowley.

Crowley grabbed one to inspect it before shrugging. "I don't see why not. You'd have to sell before you get anything though. Would you like me to exchange some of these crystals for some madol?" Atreo nodded her head so quickly, Ace and Deuce were scared it would fly off.

With that said, Atreo quickly took out all of the crystals from her pocket. How it didn't poke her this entire time was something Atreo couldn't explain herself but that means that these pants were definitely made from good material. 

The crystals covered about half of Crowley's desk. Crowley coughed awkwardly, not expecting so much while everyone else stared wide-eyed at the desk. The one braincell trio looked at Atreo, wondering how she was able to fit that much into her pockets. Atreo just let out a good laugh from their reactions.


	21. Chapter 20: Finale Prologue

"We're gonna talk about the crystal madol exchange later if you don't mind Ms. Atreo," Crowley said, clearing his throat. Atreo nodded her head in agreement. "Now then," Crowley started, "It is the norm for students to have their magic crystals in the form of a 'magic pen' but..." Crowley trailed off, seeing Grim pose in front of the small mirror on his desk.

Grim then proceeded to try and grab the crystal but it kept slipping off of his paws. Grim pouted at that while Crowley gave out a chuckle at that. "You see how you couldn't grasp it in your paws? It's a special custom. Ah, I pay attention to even the smallest details. Aren't I too gracious?" Crowley humbly bragged.

Grim ignored him and kept posing after realizing he wasn't going to be able to grab the crystal with his paws. "I did it! I'm so cool!~ I got my own special magic crystal collar!~" Grim sing-sang, showing off his crystal that was on him. Atreo huffed, trying not to laugh at him. She ended up giving a small laugh but alas Grim ignored her as well.

"He isn't listening at all... " Crowley stated while the others nodded their heads in agreement. Crowley turned towards Atreo who looked at him, wondering what his next words would be. The headmaster gestured towards Grim. 

"Do you understand? As you can see, Grim is not accustomed to human society." Cue Grim still doing model poses in the small mirror, plus Ace laughing as he pointed while Deuce tried to cover it up with a cough. "It's up to you take the reins and supervise him to prevent from causing any more trouble," Crowley said.

Ace seemed to laugh harder at that. "Ahaha! Man, that must suck! Look at you Atreo, the school has just started, but you're already a supervisor? Talk about bad luck." Ace snickered like it was a good joke he just told.

Meanwhile, Deuce had a calculative look on his face. "I see. There's only the two of you in your dorm then being entrusted with supervising Grim, makes you a supervisor." Deuce said as if he made a big breakthrough in science. 

Atreo sweatdropped, already knowing that she was going to be a supervisor regardless. "Well, it's not like the headmaster was going to appoint Grim as like, leader of the dorm y'know?" Atreo looked at Grim who was now listening to the entire conversation. 

Before Grim could protest to her words, Atreo chuckled, patting his head. "But that's fine, he can be the mascot to our dorm, right Grim?" Never did Atreo seen such a star-struck look on Grim. Grim started to feel bashful as he put his paws up to his cheeks and his tail fluttered about in happiness.

Ace chuckled. "Back to the topic, isn't that unheard of? For there to be a supervisor student who is unable to use magic." At this Atreo could feel her lips turn into a frown but before she could say anything Ace interrupted her.

"Nice! It's cool! A supervisor student who is unable to use magic!" Ace secretly cheered Atreo on. Atreo looked at Ace with wide eyes before a soft genuine smile formed on her lips. She felt her heart flutter at the sincere words Ace said. She knows for a fact that past Ace would be disgusted upon present Ace's words.

"I - I'll do my best!" She stuttered out, cheeks subconsciously going red. Thankfully no one pointed it out or else she would've wanted to pass away. Ace just chuckled. "Ahah!. Good luck, supervisor!" Atreo laughed, ruffling the back of her head, bowing a bit, thanking Ace for his words.

"I see, a supervisor." Crowley hummed in thought. "I do have work requests, and having a title makes it very convenient." Atreo could just feel her future self hit her with a bat at his very words. 'This is wonderful! Supervisor." Crowley said as he slid his chair back to open up a drawer.

He brought out a camera from the drawer, or at least that's what Atreo is assuming. "I entrust you with this. It is nicknamed the 'ghost camera.'" Crowley said getting up from his chair to give it to Atreo. He held it out to her. Atreo grabbed it and she began to inspect the supposed camera. One way to describe it was well, old. 

Around the lens was what looked like ears. Maybe a mouse or rat ears but that's what it looked like. It had a lot of yellow and brown accents with a hint of black. Another way to describe it was that it looked a bit similar to a polaroid camera. Atreo lifted it up, looking at it from different angles. 

"Ghost camera?" She questioned as she finally stopped inspecting it, looking at the headmaster for answers. Someone else answered them for her and his name happened to be Ace. Ace stepped forward, looking at the camera in wonder. He reached a hand out and touched it with his fingers.

"Ah, I think my grandma told me about it. It's a super old magic tool, right?" Ace said, looking at the headmaster's confirmation. "It is not 'super old'. Ahem," Crowley coughed into his fist. Atreo tilted her head, mind starting to spin with questions.

"This may indeed have been invented during your great grandmother's, or great-great grandmother's time," Crowley said, answering Ace's previous question. "There is a very special spell casted on it. It not only captures the subjects' form but also a part of their soul."

Part of their soul?! Atreo looked at the camera in her hands with wide eyes while she heard Deuce mutter the same thing behind her. "Part of their soul?" She wanted to so badly look at the Ace and Deuce who she noted, were calm. How could they be so calm?! If she heard right, which she's pretty sure she did, this camera takes a part of someone's soul!

"We call this 'Memory: A Fragment of Remembrance,'" Crowley continued, "Furthermore, the most interesting part of this magic camera is that the souls of the photographer and the photographed become deeply connected then the memory in the photo comes jumping out!" Crowley said, throwing his arms outwards and jumped a bit for emphasis.

"Souls are connected?" Atreo asked, brain running a thousand thoughts. Of course, the souls connected would have to be romantic, was the first thing Atreo thought of. Ah but sometimes souls can be connected platonically. With that thought, Atreo shifted her gaze from the headmaster to Deuce and Ace who seem to be talking to each other about the camera.

She felt her body become hot with embarrassment as she shifted her eyes back to the headmaster. "A - ah, so it comes jumping out?" Atreo squeaked out. The headmaster stared at her, seeing her eyes shift from him to the other two, and back to him. Crowley couldn't help but give out a small chuckle. He'd save some of her dignity.

"Depending on how close the subject and the photographer are, the picture could move like a video, or bring to life to the photo. Fascinating, right?" Crowley bragged. Atreo fumbled with the camera, face flushed. "T - that includes friends right?" "Of course! Like I said, depending on how close the subject and photographer are!" Crowley said, patting her shoulder to calm her down.

Thankfully Deuce didn't see Atreo's flustered state, too focused on the ghost camera. "Bring the photo to life? It's like a ghost photograph!" Ace shook his head. "Duh, that's why it's called the 'ghost camera' Mr. Serious." Ace teased.

Crowley nodded in approval. "Yes, just as Trappola said, it is why it's called the 'ghost camera'. They say it was made before the time of videos for when people wanted to leave behind vivid memories." Atreo couldn't help but feel bad for those people. She looked at the old camera in her hands. She'll treasure this just as much as those people did.

"Spade was correct; in the past, people would scream 'ghost!' in surprise when the memory came jumping out. They were paralyzed with fear at the thought of having a photo taken with this camera." Atreo scrunched up her nose, not understanding what he meant by that. To her, it just sounds like a picture would move around depending on the bonds of souls.

"A camera for freaking people out huh?" Ace shook his head in disappointment. Atreo gave him the stink eye as she knew for a fact that if Ace had the ghost camera he would go wild, taking random photos of the poor people he'd target. Atreo quickly looked away as she saw Ace turn his head towards her. She whistled innocently.

"Supervisor," Crowley said making Atreo turn her head towards him attentively. "Please take photos of Grim and the other students to leave behind many memories of your lives in this academy." Atreo blinked, suddenly feeling them wet from the headmaster's words. "I will," She said lowly as she looked at the camera.

Of course Grim had to ruin the heartfelt moment. "Lalalala!~ Take lots of cool photos of me!" Grim said, jumping onto Atreo's back, scrambling up to get on top of her head. Once he was there, he stuck his face in front of her view, making Atreo flinch at the sudden appearance.

"...Especially, always make sure to get 'memories' when someone steps out of line," Crowley said, narrowing his golden orbs at Grim who lay on top of Atreo's head. 

"It's the most suitable way to report to me, right? Keep an eye on your surroundings and take memories as the supervisor. To generously give you a rare item that can be used by non-wizards... " Crowley trailed off for dramatic effect then he put his arms outwards. "Does my graciousness know no bounds?"

"Ah thank you very much," Atreo bowed in gratitude. Crowley hummed in satisfaction as he looked outside. "It is already late. Let's save the detailed conversation for tomorrow." He said as he turned around to face the others. He sat back down on his chair.

"Return to your dormitories, everyone." He dismissed. Ace and Deuce were the first ones out of the door. "Pardon our intrusion," Deuce said bowing as he left through the door. The only ones that didn't leave were Atreo and Grim. Crowley looked up. "Is there something that you need Ms. Atreo?"

Atreo clutched the camera in her hands tightly. "I know you said tomorrow but... I feel like I need it right now." At that Crowley hummed as he glanced back at his desk, hands intertwining. "Is it about your home?" 

Atreo froze while her grip on the camera tightened. "... Yes. It is sir. I know you said you'd work on it but... just... tell me so I can rest easy without having to hope any day is the day I can go home." Atreo said honestly as she stared at the camera in her hands, not once looking up at Crowley.

Crowley looked at the vulnerable female in front of him and sighed. "If I'm going to be honest? It may take a while to get you back. I'm sorry to break the news to you like this Ms. Atreo but please do know that I'll be working on your return home." At that Atreo sighed with relief, shoulders slumping before nodding her head with found determination. 

"Thanks, headmaster. I'll see you another time then." Atreo said, walking away from Crowley and his desk, waving him goodbye. Crowley did the same before sighing. The door closed behind Atreo. 

"If only she knew the actual truth. My apologies Ms. Atreo. I was truthful in a way but what, I will never say. It's something I will take to the grave," Crowley murmured, opening a drawer and bringing out a pawn chess piece. "Let's hope you become a queen than just a pawn," Crowley muttered, putting the chess piece next to the mirror.

* * *

As Atreo closed the door behind her she glanced to see if there was anyone there and to her surprise there was. Ace and Deuce were standing there. They were looking out from the second floor. They heard the door creak open and turned to look at her. 

"Took ya long enough," Ace whined as he took his arms off the railing. The three of them started walking down the hallway. "What was so important that you stayed back despite the headmaster dismissing us?" Deuce asked out of curiosity.

Atreo mumbled a bit to herself before sighing. "Well, I did tell you guys that I'm not from here right?" Cue a wincing Ace and Deuce. Oh yeah, they definitely remember that. "So, I stayed behind to ask him about the situation." Ace and Deuce flickered their gaze at each other before going back at Atreo, waiting to see what she would say next.

"What?" Atreo said, looking confused as to why they were just glancing back at her and each other. "W - well... " Deuce stuttered, not sure how to ask her without sounding like a total douchebag. Ace rolled his eyes, getting impatient with the whole ordeal. 

"Ya got any updates for the situation then?" At this Atreo frowned and shook her head. "Nope, seems like I'm gonna stay here for a while I guess. Does it bother me? Yeah, it does I'm not going to even lie." At that, both Ace and Deuce had somber looks. Atreo rolled her eyes before patting their backs.

"Now now, don't get sad. That means you just have to look after my dumbass until I get home. Got it, boys?" Atreo grinned sadistically. Ace and Deuce shivered in fright at Atreo's grin. They both nodded quickly. 

"Good, good. Seriously, I know we met but we went through something that can be traumatic to others." Atreo closed her eyes as she felt her face heat up in embarrassment. "I don't know what you guys consider me as but... I - I hope you don't mind that I consider you two as friends." Atreo squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to open them.

She heard Ace laugh and Deuce chuckle before feeling two hands pat her head repeatedly. "Man, you truly never find anything embarrassing or something?" At that Atreo opened her eyes to retort when she saw Ace and Deuce smiling. This made her look away pouting with her face super red. No one said a word but they all knew at that moment. 

They all walked down the stairs to the first floor and made their way through the courtyard. Deuce heaved a heavy sigh. "Ah... Expulsion rescinded... I'm beat." He said as he paused to stretch. Ace stopped as well but not to stretch, just to wait on Deuce. "Oh my oh my... " Ace trailed off before yawning.

Grim started to hum as his tail flickered around lazily. "Lalala!~ I start as a student at Night Raven College tomorrow! I'm gonna leave you all in the dust and take the top spot!" Grim mocked as he pointed at the tired duo. Atreo shook her head, not having the energy to argue with what Grim said.

"You talk big for someone who is only half a full student," Ace pointed out, looking a bit cross but then let out a carefree smile. "Anyways, it's fine." Deuce who started walking again went up to Atreo's side. "We're classmates tomorrow, supervisor, Grim," Deuce said, nodding in Grim's direction.

"Yeah, we are huh? Wonder if it'll go alright... Oh well," Atreo shrugged before turning to Ace and Deuce with a sincere smile. Then she suddenly bowed. "Nice to meet you!" She stood back up straight. "My name is Atreo Shutaro! I'm the infamous magicless student and I'll be in your care!" She did a peace sign as she posed.

"Saying that is really embarrassing, will you stop?" Ace's cheeks gained a pink tint to it while Deuce chuckled. "Pfft. She's not wrong you know. Even if we don't want to, we're going to see each other every day from now on." Atreo nodded her head gleefully as she pranced around Ace, smiling.

"I happen to be in Heartslabyul with this jerk." Deuce sighed dramatically while Atreo jokingly put her hands together. "I'll pray for your sanity then Deuce." Deuce looked at her in surprise before smiling. Ace whined, "Eh?~ What's this? 'Bully Ace' day or something?"

"Well, just thinking about your serious mug every day makes me feel sick to my stomach," Ace said while pretending to gag for comedic sake. "That's my line, truant Ace," Deuce said while his eyebrows knitted close to each other, face suddenly serious. Atreo had to look away. If she didn't she would've laugh and Ace's words would become true.

"Sure, sure, almost-expelled-crybaby Deuce. Alright, see you tomorrow, supervisor." Ace waved goodbye as they went to the other side of the courtyard and to the Hall of Mirrors. They were still bickering at each other, saying sharp jabs to see how the other will respond. 

Atreo watched them walk, the wind flowing through her hair. "Ah, those nicknames... " She trailed off as she stared at their figures eventually disappear. Grim hummed as he too, stared at them. "Those guys might make a good combo. They're the 'fight because they're so close' type." Atreo nodded in agreement.

"Well, we better get back to the dorm! Tomorrow, we aren't the handyman! Finally... Finally! Our bright and shiny academy life at Night Raven College begins!" Grim cheered. Meanwhile, Atreo groaned at the thought of having to walk all the way to the dorm. Atreo and Grim soon went to the dorm they both can call home. It took a while like Atreo thought it certainly would.


	22. Episode 1 - 1: Midnight Hanging

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one probably sucks cuz I rushed it a bit, my apologies.

Opening the door to the Ramshackle dorm, Atreo groaned. "Man, I don't think I ever ran that fast in like ages." Grim hopped off of her head and onto the floor. "Meh who cares. Whatever we went through has been done. Can't complain now!" Grim said as he waddled his way to the bedroom door. 

Atreo sighed, realizing that Grim was right. "Well, I have every right to complain." She mumbled as she opened the bedroom door, letting Grim scuttle in. Atreo then entered herself. She kicked off her shoes and laid flat on the bed, groaning in relief. Atreo didn't even get under the covers as she began to snore, sleep claiming her.

* * *

Atreo bolted up suddenly, hearing the knocking on her door. She grumbled, no longer caring about anything. Sadly, she realizes that whenever she's insanely tired, someone's always knocking on the door. She should get to use it but we all know that's not going to happen.

Covering her mouth from a yawn she opened the door to see Mr. Crewel. Her eyes immediately shot open as she remembered that she needed to see him for the uh... for the sweater that she fell asleep in. Embarrassment seeped in. "U - uhm, hello Mr. Crewel. What brings you here?" She inquired.

Before he could reply, a bag in hand once again, his eyes immediately went straight to the blue sweater, the cut on it showing. "Oh my goodness! What happened? Are you alright puppy?" He said, flickering his eyes to hers. 

Atreo flinched and looked down ashamed. "Sorry Mr. Crewel, I got in a bad scuffle and during it, it got cut. I was going to see you to see if you could fix it up. Sorry." Atreo apologized once again, her bad habit coming out. Crewel sighed before patting her head.

"It's fine. Your life is more important than clothes. Speaking of clothes!~" He sing-sang a bit as he presented the bag to Atreo. She grabbed the bag tenderly like she was afraid it would break under her hold. She opened it and saw what looked similar to the school's uniform. Actually, it was!

"Ta-da!~ The headmaster came to me asking if there was a uniform that could fit you, and since I knew about you not liking skirts, I made it upon myself to make you some pants that would fit you well enough for you to move in them!" Crewel said, going on a bit of a tangent. 

Atreo looked at him like he was a god. "Mr. Crewel, are you sure you aren't like a god or something?" She blurted out. At that Crewel let out a laugh. "My my, thank you for the compliment but if I truly was a god would I be here, working my butt off for some snot-nosed kids?" He said sassily, yet a smile on his face. 

Atreo pouted slightly, moving her face a bit to the side so he wouldn't see. "I guess not." She moved her face back to face him fully. "So this is the uniform huh?" She said, grabbing a sleeve and looking at the sleek texture. "Ah!" Atreo yelled in realization as she looked at the still smiling Crewel.

"Mr. Crewel! Do you have other clothing that I could have? It can even be hand me downs, I don't mind either way! It's just, I don't have any uhm, madol on me so I can't really buy anything." Atreo said, making a glum face.

Crewel blinked, and put a hand on his chin, thinking about how he could help this fashionless girl. "Ah," He snapped his fingers in realization. "I do have some hand me downs but they might not fit you, are you sure you still want them?" Crewel said, squinting his eyes at her.

"It's fine! As long as I have other clothing that's not my current attire or the school uniform." Atreo said, having a determined look plastered on her features. Crewel sighed but nodded his head. "Alright, I understand. I mean, the headmaster informed the staff about your current situation and such."

"Really, if he wants to be such a good role model he should've at least give you some clothes," Crewel frowned, eyebrows pinched near each other. His eyes trailed back to the cut up sweater and the button-up underneath. "Are you still going to ask me to fix it for you?" 

Atreo wanted to sigh but didn't. She nodded her head. "If you can please. I really like the sweater." At that Crewel chuckled. "I see. I suppose it would go well with your uniform, wouldn't you agree?" Atreo nodded her head again. "Okay. Let me go get some of the hand me downs, although I hate the idea of you having such rugged clothing," Crewel muttered as he turned around and left, going down the steps.

Atreo blinked as she didn't know what to do next. She gently closed the door. She paused in the hallway before going back to the bedroom quietly. Atreo looked into the room to see Grim still sleeping on the pillows. He was in loaf mode again, causing Atreo to coo at him silently. 

She gently closed the door, leaving a small crack to let Grim know that she went out of the room and that she didn't get kidnapped by the ghosts. Atreo stretched by the doorframe before walking away and into the lounge room. She didn't know what to do other than just politely wait for Crewel to show up with some clothes. 

Atreo sat on the dusty couch, and waited, looking propper. A few minutes passed by and she was starting to feel sleepy again. She shook her head around then slapped her cheeks hard to wake herself up. She didn't even know what time it was. Atreo groaned, now understanding her mistake of waiting for Mr. Crewel. This was definitely going to take a bit, isn't it?

Atreo doesn't know when but she dozed off because she jolted awake, hearing the door open. Even though it was probably Mr. Crewel letting himself inside, her heart stopped completely. She was not well trained enough to fend someone off and even if she was, she was completely drained. She could feel her sore leg muscles yell at her.

"Hello? Did you fall asleep again puppy?" Crewel whispered, not wanting to wake her up if she did fall asleep. Hearing Mr. Crewel's voice made Atreo slump in such relief, that she could've taken a quick nap from her tense body relaxing. 

"No, I didn't," Atreo lied as she got up from the couch and to the foyer where Crewel was. He had couple more bags in his hands and he handed them to her. "Go ahead and change into one of them so I can get the clothes you're wearing right now." Atreo just have Crewel a tired thumbs up before going up to the stairs, deciding to change in the bathroom than the bedroom. She didn't want to interrupt Grim's sleep.

She changed quickly into a baggy shirt and some shorts that fit her nicely. Atreo got out of the bathroom and back down the stairs. Crewel was simply checking out the condition of the dorm when he heard Atreo walk down the stairs. 

"Ah, I knew it. When you get the sweater back I can try to fix the other clothes for you if you want." Crewel offered his help but Atreo shook her head. "Unless you want to Mr. Crewel, I'm fine with the way it is. I don't want to have your work be loaded when you're still a teacher at this school." 

Crewel blinked, eyes a bit wide before he let a genuine smile crawl onto his lips. "Hmm, well if you ever need help, I don't mind. Regardless of what you say, I'm still going to help you. As a person who knows of your situation and as your soon-to-be teacher." Crewel stated as he ruffled Atreo's head.

Atreo grunted as she felt her hair go everywhere from the ruffle Crewel did. Crewel motioned to give him the torn up clothes and Atreo gave it to him. "Thanks, Mr. Crewel... That really means a lot," Atreo said with a tired smile. 

"No problem puppy, now I'll be on my way. Please catch up on some sleep, you look like you need it." Crewel gave a concerned frown. "And I know me coming doesn't help, I apologize on that as well. Your clothes will be delivered to your room when it's ready. Sleep well." Crewel bid goodbye as he went to the door and let himself out.

Atreo blinked before a sudden thought hit her. _'Wait a minute, he could've used magic to fix it right there and then!'_ But it was too late, Crewel was gone and Atreo could confirm this as she went to the door and yanked it open, expecting to see Crewel walking down the steps. Nope, he wasn't there. It was as if the wind carried him away.

Atreo slumped, too tired to even deal with this. She went back to the lounge to grab several bags of clothes and went to the bedroom. As she quietly entered the bedroom, she looked around to see where she could place the bags. Atreo shrugged as she just put the bags on the covered chair. Atreo walked back to the bed and got under the covers this time. Out like a light.

Or so we thought. Atreo's sleeping body gently stood up and staggered itself to the mirror. Her arms went to the side to support her body which then slumped towards the mirror, torso laying on top of the fireplace mantel. If anyone else was awake, they would've seen the mirror ripple.

Atreo opened her eyes and she quickly sat up. A dream? If so, it was a dream where everything was monochrome. Atreo hesitantly got up and realized that she was in some sort of bush maze. Looking at her surroundings Atreo couldn't help but shudder violently. Something about this dream felt too real.

Atreo decided that walking around till finding some sort of help will guide her way out of this possible lucid dreaming. As Atreo walked around, she stumbled upon some... personified cards? Cards that were alive it seemed. Being super cautious, Atreo hid behind part of the bush maze.

The cards began to sing a bit. "Hurry and paint the roses red! If we don’t hurry, the flowers will wilt!" They sang as they moved around freely. Then an Ace of Clubs started up, "Hurry, hurry! There are still some that aren’t painted!" It sang, panic beginning to seep into the undertone. 

Atreo squinted in suspicion. ' _Painting… the roses?'_ Atreo's mind tried to see where that such phrasing sounded familiar but each time she tried to remember, a headache pulse would stop her. Eventually giving up, a new character entered the scene. Atreo's eyes widen a bit. 

It was a petite girl, shorter than Atreo. The girl had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a blue dress. Atreo's mind started to hurt more at the sight of the petite, causing Atreo to flinch. Atreo was planning on leaving from there due to the ever-growing headache but the girl asked a question that made Atreo's feet stayed glued to the ground.

"Why are you painting the white roses red?" The blonde girl asked, looking quite curious as to why they were painting flowers. "Huh?" The two cards that were painting stopped to look at the girl. "Why you ask?" The Two of Clubs said, pursing its lips at the girl like she was some sort of idiot.

"Well, to tell you the truth, we made a mistake and accidentally planted white roses." The Two of Clubs said before resuming it's painting on the roses. "The Queen loves red, so if she sees white, then it’s off with our heads!" The Ace of Clubs said, seeing the blonde girl's confused face.

"Is that so?" The girl questioned as she went up to a different card person. This was one a Three of Clubs and it was on a ladder that looked like it fit more for a canvas painting than a ladder. "Yep! That’s exactly why we’re painting them red!" It said as it turned its attention to the tree that was covered in white roses.

Atreo suddenly gasped as the dream started to shift and become blurry. Before she left, however, she had one thought and voiced it out loudly. "Eh? Red roses? But that's so plain. I never heard of white roses. I bet they're much more beautiful that way." As the dream almost came to an end she heard something. "My my if the queen ever heard you say that, well, I wonder what would happen." 

* * *

Atreo jolted up from the fireplace mantel, almost tripping from the sudden weight of her body. She gasped for breath, feeling her heart beat fast. As she gathered herself she glanced around the room. "Wait, where am I again?" She asked quietly, feeling a bit quite disconnected from the dream.

A noise made Atreo jump a bit in the air from the tense atmosphere she bathed herself in. Knocking. It's always knocking, isn't it? Don't people have other things do to? Atreo groaned, a hatred for knocking starting to seep into her brain. 

Atreo glanced at the mirror. "I wonder why I saw such a weird dream… " She trailed off as she heard Grim groan from the knocking that was becoming persistent. "Hey, Atreo… Someone’s at the door... " Grim slurred out, barely starting to wake up. The knocks persisted.

"What? Is it the ghosts? They sure don’t know when to give up, huh?" Grim let out a huge yawn. "Let's go see who it is... I guess." Grim grumbled as he jumped off the bed. Still disoriented from the previous events, Atreo numbly followed Grim out of the bedroom and into the foyer.

Atreo yawned loudly before leaning on the door. "Yo, who is it? No one would come this late you know unless you're planning to rob this place and let me tell you, nothing worth robbing here my dude." Silence then a voice. 

"... It's me Ace. Let me in, I'll freeze my ass from being out here for too long." Ace? Both Grim and Atreo exchanged a confused glance. "Ace? Why is he here at this hour?" Grim asked Atreo who shrugged. "I don't know either but I'm gonna let him in." Atreo opened the door and let Ace in, not bothering to look at him till he was fully inside the dorm.

"Geh!" Grim choked out, seeing a familiar collar on Ace's neck. Atreo blinked in surprise, not expecting to see the heart-shaped collar again, especially so soon. "What’s with the collar?!" Grim pointed out while Atreo shut the door and locked it, watching Ace march angrily to the lounge room.

"Shut up!" Ace snarled as he planted his butt on the couch, dust kicking up a bit but not as much as it did previously. "Geez! I’m never returning to Heartslabyul! I’m gonna be a member of this dorm from here on!" He stated as he crossed his arms like a child would as they threw a tantrum. 

"W - what?!" Grim yelled as both Atreo and Grim had followed Ace to the lounge area. "Just know that if you are transferring here, well, it's really dirty and there isn't much stuff laying around. Oh, and you might have to start buying food for yourself. Well depends... If I do my calculations right, we might be able to get some food for the rest of us... " Atreo trailed off, now actually trying to think on how to split the money if it comes down to it.

Both Ace and Grim sweatdropped at her muttering. "W - wow... I mean I know you're from a different world but are you seriously that poor?" Ace asked while Grim looked at him as if Ace just killed Grim's species. One look at Atreo was what took Ace for him to immediately regret what he just said.

"Huh? Did you really just ask me that? You must be stupid or something," Atreo said, snarling at him. "You literally answered your own question dumbass," She sighed, feeling her headache come back a bit. "But yeah, I am that poor. Are you gonna give me some free madol or something?" Atreo perked up at the idea of getting free money.

She deflated when she saw Ace shake his head. "You poor too or... ?" Ace started to sweatdrop. "N - no, I just rather use the madol for other stuff." Atreo pouted, "What kind of friend are you? So rude. I literally need the madol but it's fine, I still have to do crystal exchange with Crowley. So, what brings you here?" Atreo asked, not knowing she was opening up a can of worms.


	23. Episode 1 - 2: Triple Snacking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just wanna say thank you for the kudos, bookmarks, and comments! I know I don't bring it up but sincerely, thank you! Just knowing you guys read this motivates me a lot! I do mean that haha. Apologies for the small hiatus! I had some, injuries so I couldn't exactly work on this + sleepless nights where I couldn't focus on anything in general!! Regardless, thanks guys; hope you guys have a wonderful year and such.
> 
> Once I hit around, Pomefiore's chapter (or by the time I finish this, Ignihyde's) I will probably do that Octovinelle fanfic I really wanted to do (mainly because I was bored and or was too inspired cuz,, I'm love Jade and Floyd)

The moment those words left Atreo's mouth, oh boy did Ace went off. Well before he could, Grim pointed at the collar. "Wait a tick! I know that collar! It's the same one that red-haired brat- I mean, upperclassman put on me during the opening ceremony!" Grim said.

"Ah, that's right, it's like the exact same one." Atreo leaned towards Ace, eyes inspecting every detail on the collar. Ace turned his head away, face flushing a bit but not that bothered by Atreo invading his space. "Ne, why are you wearin' something like that Ace?" Grim asked. Atreo soon backed away to give Ace some space.

Ace pouted and looked away from the two of them. "I ate a tart." Silence for about five minutes. They were all staring at Ace. "... That's it? A tart?" Atreo asked. "A tart, just one tart," Ace repeated. "Huh?!" Both Grim and Atreo yelled in surprise. "Wait wait wait, you telling me you got in trouble because you ate a tart? That sounds ridiculous." Atreo pointed out.

"Exactly! Okay, lemme tell you what happened. I got hungry so I checked the dorm's fridge for some food. I saw three whole tarts sittin' there so I figured, 'hey, no one's gonna notice one missing tart' well I was sorely wrong!" Ace hissed out. "Lemme tell you how it went down." Ace then proceeded to tell the duo what happened.

* * *

Ace had just gotten back from the previous event, back sore and now extremely tired yet he was starving. As soon as he got into the dorm, he went straight to the kitchen, well not quite. He still wasn't used to the place so he often got a bit lost before finally finding the kitchen.

Ace entered the kitchen and awed at the way it was. The way to describe the kitchen was, a bit wonky. Everything was twisty save for a couple of things. The things that weren't twisty was the kitchen island, some stools, and the pots and pans that were hung. It astounded Ace how some of the cups were able to stay on the shelves balanced.

After Ace was admiring the room, his eyes settled on the fridge and felt his stomach grumble with want. "Okay okay, we're getting some food, just hold on," Ace talked to his stomach, patting it before walking towards the fridge. "I wonder if there's anythin' in the fridge," He opened it in one swoop.

His cherry-red eyes scanned the fridge and immediately, something caught his eye. "Ooooh, a tart!~ Looks super delish right now, right buddy?" On cue, Ace's stomach grumbled. "Yep, I know, I'm on it!~" Ace sing-sang as he grabbed one. Before he could devour it like Grim devoured the crystal back at the mines, Ace looked around to see if there was anything that could catch him in the act. 

Looks like no one could, almost all of the students went to sleep considering that it's super late. "... Well, there's so much so, no one is really going to know ones missing yeah?" Ace talked to himself, whistling a bit. Ace leaned more into the fridge to pluck a tart from the place it seemed to be resting along with two other tarts.

Ace inspected it a bit more before shrugging, deciding it's good enough to eat. "Thanks for the food!~" Ace said before taking a bite of the tart Ace had in his hand, the other still holding the fridge open. 

Ace jolted at the expensive yet savory flavor of the tart. "Woah! It's so good, what the heck?!" Ace took another bite as if he had to confirm it again. "Yummy!" Ace gaped. "Of course it is," A voice piped up. Ace still held the fridge door open, eating the tart as fast as he could and perhaps get another one.

"After all, anything that Trey makes is bound to be exquisite." The voice continued as the footsteps of the voice came closer to Ace. Ace finally closed the door to the fridge, eyes closed as he sighed. "Nah, man, this is something else! It’s better than the ones at the shops ya go to." Ace opened his eyes to see who was speaking to him and he felt his blood run cold. 

It was his dorm leader, Riddle Rosehearts and he didn't look too pleased. "Wha– Dorm leader?!" Ace shouted as he backed away from Riddle. Riddle frowned, his eyes narrowed as he knew, that Ace ate one of his tarts. "Quite the boldness you have there for touching something that belongs to me, or rather, ate something that belongs to me." Riddle pointed out, silently grabbing his magic pen.

"Queen of Hearts Rule #89: 'You shall not eat tarts prepared for the Queen ahead of her.'" Riddle quickly whipped out his magic pen and pointed it at Ace who grew bug-eyed at the sight of the magic pen. "Tart theft is unforgivable! 『OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!』!" Riddle yelled out, magic pen glowing.

Suddenly a collar latched itself on Ace's neck. Pain bloomed around Ace's neck from the sudden weight of it, and what the feeling of the collar gave Ace. A silent scream that turned vocally before Ace immediately used his hands to try and get it off of him. "GYAAAH!" Ace yelled out.

Riddle sighed, giving Ace a disappointed look before instructing Ace to go to his dorm room. "That is your punishment, now leave and go to your dorm room." Ace gritted his teeth before running out of the room. After that, he waited for Riddle to head to bed then ran out of the dorm, and to Ramshackle dorm which returns us of the current events.

* * *

"And that's what happened." Ace said crossing his arms, eyes closed and eyebrows pinched making a foul expression. Atreo and Grim had a blank face then glanced at each other as if to make sure what they heard was right. Then they glanced back at Ace with a disappointed look on their faces, Grim crossing his arms.

"You've got yourself to blame here," Grim said as he wagged a paw at Ace. In a way, Atreo agreed, nodding her head. Ace blinked before getting genuinely annoyed that they weren't siding with him. That's what he came here to do! To get them to agree with him! 

That, and well, he didn't have anywhere else to go. He didn't really know anyone besides Atreo and Grim. He certainly didn't want to go to Deuce, not when Deuce was at the place Ace just escaped from. Ace groaned loudly, ruffling his hair in frustration. 

"Okay but like, both of ya don't think he's a bit crazy for overreacting to seal my magic just ’cause I ate his tart? Because I think he is! It's like tying my hands and feet y'know!" Ace ranted a bit, scrunching up his nose in disgust. Atreo and Grim shared a wary glance at each other as Ace continued.

"Plus, there were three whole ones! He can’t possibly finish all of those by himself given his size! There’s a limit to how heartless he can be!" Ace snarled out. Atreo hummed as she put her hands in her baggy shorts. "I mean," She glanced at Grim, hoping he wouldn't take some offense to her choosing Ace's side.

"I kinda agree? Sealing your magic because of a tart, is just, so ridiculous. He could've settled it in a different matter considering his position," Atreo sighed. Immediately Ace perked up, thanking the gods that at least one sensible person was able to see his side of the story. "Right?! Exactly! You get me Atreo!" Ace grinned, going up to Atreo and slapping her back in happiness. Atreo went forward from the sudden force and coughed.

Grim was standing there, thinking as deep as he could. "Ah! Wait a second! Did you ever ask what the tarts were for Ace?" Grim asked Ace who shook his head in response. "Then maybe they were prepared for a party! Gosh, I'm so smart." Grim bragged, puffing his furry chest out while both Ace and Atreo rolled their eyes at him.

"Anyways if they're for a party, maybe it was a birthday party?" Grim questioned before snickering, "Maybe I should be a detective from how smart I am!" At that Atreo hummed in thought. "Birthday?" Ace asked, confused as to why tarts could be for a birthday. "I don't think I ever heard of tarts being for a birthday, maybe a cake or somethin' but not tarts." Ace admitted.

"Hmm did end up apologizing to him? If it's for his birthday then man, I can't imagine how furious he was." Atreo said, looking at Ace worriedly. Ace pouted and turned his face away from them. "Erm... I came here thinking that you’d agree with me about the dorm leader being a little tyrant..." Ace trailed off.

"Well I mean I agree with him going a bit overboard but... " Atreo sighed not sure how to convey the message to Ace. Thankfully Grim helped her out. "You’re also at fault for eatin’ his food." Grim pointed out while Atreo started to inspect her nails. "I mean, that's what got you in trouble in the first place wasn't it?" Atreo also pointed it out.

Silence. Ace still had his head turned away from the Ramshackle duo. Ah, stubborn and prideful Ace is back huh? Atreo walked up to Ace and patted his head, making him turn his head towards her, eyes blinking in confusion. "Let's go apologize to him tomorrow okay?" Atreo grinned boyishly.

Ace stared wide-eyed at Atreo before dipping his head so Atreo wouldn't see his red face. He wasn't used to Atreo showing him such affection. This was probably the first time Ace thanked Grim internally as Grim interrupted their little moment. 

Atreo turned to Grim as Grim spoke, "Grudges over food are scary! Ah speaking of! I haven’t received my canned tuna from the headmaster!" The realization hit Grim as a shocked look came over Grim's face. Atreo turned back to Ace, her lips in a thin line as she stayed quiet. It wasn't just the headmaster that owed Grim some canned tuna it seems.

Ace stared at Atreo who was looking anywhere but at Ace and Grim. Ace sighed and closed his eyes before opening them up again, eyes narrowed. "I get it. I just have to apologize, right?" Atreo looked at Ace but before she could say anything Ace went on. "You suggested it, so you better come with me, supervisor." Ace huffed

Atreo sighed but shrugged. "Alright got it loud and clear Ace." "So where do I sleep?" Ace asked. Atreo pursed her lips as she began to think. "Man you really joining us huh? Probably not the smartest choice." Ace ignored her while Grim jumped on the bandwagon.

"You were bein' serious about that? Well," Grim crossed his tiny arms, "If you're stayin' here for the night just know that the other rooms aside from ours are still full of dust. Better start cleaning." Grim grinned a bit, an ear flickering in satisfaction at Ace's misery.

"Ugh, I don’t wanna clean at all." Ace whined before looking at Atreo with pleading eyes, and a puckered lower lip. Atreo gulped at the sight and shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "Supervisor," Ace whimpered out, "Let me stay in your room? I'm pretty slim so I won't take up much space, okay?~" Ace purred out at the end.

Atreo froze before a stone-cold expression placed itself on her facial features. "You're welcome to sleep on the lounge's sofa. It's the next cleanest thing besides Grim and I's room." She pointed out. Atreo turned around and walked out of the lounge room, Grim following her as he stuck his tongue out at Ace.

"Tch, so stingy!" Ace said after they left before laying down on the couch. "Fine, I’ll sleep all by my lonesome on the lounge’s sofa! Good night!" Ace called out before getting a 'good night' in return from Grim and Atreo.

Grim climbed up Atreo's baggy clothing and snickered. "You don't take flirting well do you?" Atreo's face was completely red, opposite to the cold expression she had given Ace earlier. "No, I don't." She admitted. "Being flirted with was something I'll never get used to, no matter who the person is."

"Hmm, I think you might have to get used to it," Grim murmured. "This is an all-boys school, there's gonna be guys where they might take flirting too far." Atreo looked at Grim in shock before muttering to herself. "You're are a bit smart... Now that's worrying." Grim took offense to this as he batted at Atreo's head.

"Though, that's even more of a reason to learn self-defense," Atreo said, as she opened the bedroom door. "Well whatever, let's just hope we don't wake up to knocking again. I'm starting to think that knocking is a bad omen to us." Atreo hummed out as she approached the bed and snugged herself in. Grim yawned and curled up by her feet. "Sleep well Grim, goodnight," Atreo yawned out as well as sleep slowly claimed her.

* * *

Pounding on the door woke Ace up. Disorientated Ace looked around as last night's events came flooding back to his mind. That and the heavy collar that was still on his neck was a reminder that everything last night really did happen. "Ugh," Ace groaned, shielding his face from the strips of light that came through the giant window.

"Supervisor... visitor," Ace slurred. No response other than the pounding at the door. "Who the hell’s pounding on the door so early in the morning?" Ace grumbled as he sat himself up straight on the couch, watching dust fall from the roof. The pounding continued, more copious amount of dust falling.

"This dorm’s seriously raining dust! Got it, got it! I’ll open the door, so don’t break the door! I don't have the money to pay Atreo for it!" Ace yelled out before getting up from the couch and going to the dorm's foyer. Ace marched up to the door but before he could even open it, someone did the job for him.

Deuce had kicked the door open. "So you did end up coming here," Deuce said, inspecting Ace's shocked face. "D - Deuce! Oi! Don't kick the door jeez! I just said I can't afford to pay Atreo for it!" Ace pointed out but Deuce ignored him. 

"I heard about the situation from our dormmates. You ate the dorm leader’s tart, so now you’ve got that collar on." Deuce said, looking at Ace's collar before shaking his head in disappointment. "You're an outright idiot."

That last part ticked Ace off. "Shut up! I don't wanna hear that from you of all people!" Ace spat out before sighing, "So, is the dorm leader still mad about it?" Deuce put his thinking face on and placed his fist on his chin. "I don't think so. I mean he’s in an irritated mood. About three people who didn’t follow the waking up routine suffered the same fate as you."

"'Don't think so' my ass! He's totally pissed off!" Ace yelled out. Before anything else could be said, Atreo came running out of the bedroom with the broom in hand, and Grim ready to attack the intruder. "Hands up where I can see 'em!" Atreo spat out venomously, ready to use the broom as a weapon.

Instinctively both Ace and Deuce raised their hands up. Both sweatdropped at her choice of weapon but knew better than to make fun of Atreo who at the moment, looked like a raging bull. Eventually, Atreo calmed down seeing that it was just Deuce. 

"Oh, hey Deuce, welcome to my humble abode." Atreo greeted him. Deuce saw her clothing and stammered a strained hello. Ace pursed his lips at that but didn't say anything before turning to look at Atreo, assessing the current situation. 

Ace turned to look at her. "What are you gonna do with a broom if it was an actual intruder? I don't have magic at the moment remember so I can't protect you." Ace frowned as the realization hit him. Sure she's got Grim to protect her but there's going to be a time where not even Grim can do that.

Atreo hummed before leaning on the broom. "You haven't fought mice have ya?" Both Ace and Deuce were confused as to why mice were brought into the conversation. "They run fast y'know. Gotta find several other ways to get them. Sometimes, people are fun to beat up with a broom. I have experience." Atreo grinned maliciously while everyone shivered violently, suddenly feeling bad for the people she fought against with a broom.


	24. Episode 1 - 3: Scarlet Garden

The troublemaker squad was on the main street, walking to the school. "Hey! Make way, make way! I, a full-fledged Night Raven College student, is passing through!" Grim bragged as some guys would look at him strangely and continue walking not caring, while others would flinch at Grim's loud voice.

"Look at my collar! My collar is totally awesome compared to yours!" Grim laughed at Ace, pointing at the heart-shaped collar that was on Ace. Ace was seething with anger but didn't say anything. Both Atreo and Deuce would look at Ace with smirks, well more like Atreo was. Deuce didn't care and it showed.

"And you can’t use your magic now, can you? Guess I can have you cleaning the schools as part of your chores! Nyaha! This feels so good!" Atreo immediately caught on and snickered. "Hey now, I'm starting to feel bad for him Grim!~" Atreo mockingly waved a hand and shook her head.

"Guh! I'll remember this when I get my magic back!" Ace barked at them while both Grim and Atreo wore big grins. "B - besides! You shouldn't be say anything, you hypocrite! You didn't know how to put the uniform on!" Atreo defended herself. "Hey! I'm not from here okay? Where I went to school, we didn't have uniforms!" Deuce shook his head as he remembered the events that lead up to this.

* * *

Atreo had gone to her room to change. Looks like Mr. Crewel kept his promise as a bag that wasn't there by her door before, was now there. She peeked inside and it was the clothes that he first gave her. Atreo beamed as she grabbed the short-sleeved white button-up shirt and the light blue sweater. 

Grim grumbled as he was kicked out of the bedroom, sitting by the doorway while both Ace and Deuce hanged around the hallway. "So, Atreo sleeps in a place like this?" Deuce frowned, inspecting the walls. "Yeah, it sucks right?" Ace also frowned. "I mean like, imagine you get taken away into a different world, then placed in a dorm like this where it's practically falling apart at the seams. I'd be pretty petty if you ask me." Ace said.

Deuce hummed. "I mean sure but wouldn't you be more thankful? That at least you have some sort of roof over your head?" Ace pursed his lips. "Yeah I guess but don't you think she deserves better than this heap of a place?" Ace asked, curious as to what Deuce will say.

"Well, it's hard to say. She's magicless and because of that, she wasn't sorted into a dorm." Deuce said, remembering the ceremony. "Not only that but her gender does cause a bit of a problem even if she did have magic. Of course, no offense to her gender but," Deuce's expression turned somber. "Some guys won't hesitate to... you know," Deuce said in a low voice yet disgust was his main emotion.

"I trust what she can do but I don't trust the men who can hurt her more easily," Deuce stated, crossing his arms. Ace looked out the windows that were in the hallway. "You took it out of my mouth. Although, if she had a broom everywhere, I bet she could do some crazy fake karate moves with it." Ace imagined and went 'pfft' at the image that was stuck in his head.

Deuce chuckled, imagining something similar to it. "Well who knows, she's survived so far." Suddenly the bedroom door was bust open, showing an excited Atreo. She walked out and posed with peace signs, legs in an awkward position as she stuck her tongue out.

Then she straightened herself up, grinning, placing her hands behind her head. "How do I look?" She asked. The way her clothes were would make a perfectionist die on the spot. Wrinkled and just plain everywhere. All of the boys blinked at the way her attire was set up. Ace pursed his lips, trying not to laugh.

"U - uhm..." Deuce didn't know what to say. Should he correct the way her clothing was unkempt or just leave it be since he's seen some people wear the uniform worse than how she had it? "Maybe you should button it up?" Deuce suggested. Atreo looked down at her opened blazer.

"Eh? I have it open so I can show off my light blue sweater and the white button-up shirt," Atreo whined a bit. "W - well..." Deuce stammered, not sure what to say. Ace shrugged before patting Atreo on the shoulder. "Eh, ya don't have to adjust it but why is it so messy? You never wore a uniform or something?"

Atreo felt her face flush in shame. "No... most of the schools I went to weren't private academies like this one. They were public schools and you were allowed to wear whatever you want as long as it was within their school regulations and rules." Atreo explained to them before Ace started to make fun of her way of living back then.

* * *

Deuce chuckled at the memory that happened not so long ago. After that, they all went to the main building for classes. Before Ace, Atreo, and Grim could brawl each other, Deuce intervened. "Hey, the headmaster just scolded you all for a ruckus you guys caused yesterday, remember?" At that, all of them went 'gehk' realizing that Deuce was right.

Deuce turned his attention to Ace, eyes looking at the collar. "In any case, you won’t be able to attend classes since your magic has been sealed. How about you go and apologize to dorm leader Rosehearts so he can take that off?" Deuce suggested, gesturing towards the collar that was still latched onto Ace's neck.

Ace scrunched up his face before stomping his foot on the ground with his shoulders tense. "Damn it! I'm still not convinced he's just going to take it off like it was nothing!" Ace vented out. Grim put a paw to his chin, thinking.

"Well, we still have time before the school day starts! Plus, I’m interested in the other dorms. Let’s go see what they look like while we watch Ace apologize at the same time!" Grim cheered childishly making Atreo cheer with him though with more low energy. "I’m not some kinda exhibit, damn it!" Ace cursed out as they all walked to the Hall of Mirrors.

They went up to the mirror that led to the dorm Ace and Deuce is part of. Heartslabyul Dormitory. One way to describe the mirror was beautiful yet chaotic and quite big. A heart with a crown was on the mirror's top edge with a couple of cards and flowers going down the sides. Not only that but at the entrance was a book, of course, made out of stone.

Mushrooms were on the sides as if they were to let one know to go in that direction. Though, one mushroom looked... odd. Three circles. One big one with two smaller ones on top, making a sort of figure.

Deuce went into the mirror, the mirror rippling a bit. Atreo warily glanced at it before sticking a foot in, watching the mirror jiggle. Fascination and wonder were what stayed on Atreo's face. Ace rolled his eyes before pushing her in. "Another time, I gotta get this off y'know." Ace said as the trio went in. 

Atreo audibly gasped. The red and white dorm stood tall in front of them. Rose bushes that were in the shape of hearts stood proud at the sides. A fountain was running in the middle of it all. Atreo stared, eyes unblinking yet wide. 

Ace snickered at her face. "Pretty neat right?" He said before walking in front of Atreo, Deuce soon following him afterward. Atreo just kept gawking. "Oh wow! This is super fancy! It’s completely different from our dorm!" Grim pointed out making Atreo snap out of her gaze. 

"W - well... ours is still in development. Man, that's a low blow Grim," Atreo murmured the last bit to herself before jogging up to Ace and Deuce. "Let's split up." Deuce proposed the idea. Ace shook his head. "Sorry no can do, Atreo over here promised me she would be there when I apologize to the dorm leader." Ace stated as he grabbed Atreo's arm harshly.

Atreo rolled her eyes, before nodding her head. "Sadly I did, sorry Deuce," She said apologetically while Deuce sighed. "No, you're fine. Then, let's just wander around till we find him or something." Deuce said before taking a left turn and going into a bush maze although none knew it was a maze till it was too late.

"Man, is it me, or are we just going in what feels like circles?" Atreo pointed out. This sparked an argument between Deuce and Ace, mostly about not taking the right turns and such. Atreo glanced at Grim who looked a bit bored. "Say," Atreo whispered towards Grim who looked at her, an ear flickering. "Should we just leave these knuckleheads and just explore ourselves?" 

Grim flickered his gaze back to the arguing boys before nodding his head. "I came here for excitement not for two dumb butts to be arguing." Atreo motioned to Grim for him to get on her. He did. Ace and Deuce lead the way, not paying attention to the scheming Ramshackle duo behind them.

Atreo lagged behind them, watching their every moment before Ace and Deuce took a right. Atreo couldn't stop grinning as she turned left instead and walk fast enough to be out of their view. She wasn't looking where she was going and her foot hit something solid. Atreo quickly inhaled and held it while Grim snickered at her misfortune.

Before Grim could say anything about it, they heard a hum that soon stopped. "Crap, crap. I gotta hurry and paint these roses red." Someone had said. Grim's ear flickered at the noise before Grim turned his head and saw a person there, manually painting some white roses to red. "Oh look, there's a person there," Grim pointed with his paw.

Atreo turned her head to see and her eyes went wide. Not because of the person but rather the entire scenery just looked so... familiar. It was weird since she's never even been to this dorm. Her mind wandered to the guy painting however.

Her curiosity peaked when she saw the guy dip his brush into a paint can. Her feet carried her to where the guy was but where she wasn't looking, she stumbles a bit, almost kicking the paint can that was next to the guy's ladder. "Woah there! I need that paint ya know? If there are some white roses left unpainted, it’s off with my head." The guy said, turning to Atreo.

"... I've felt like I've seen this before but what's different is the guy," Atreo mumbled to herself, noticing the diamond shape on the guy's cheek. "No... yeah, it was a club." Atreo murmured, catching the diamond guy's attention. Before he could ask her about anything, Ace and Deuce stumbled in. 

Deuce was about to scold her for leaving but then saw the diamond person standing on the ladder, looking confused for a second. Ace just plain didn't care since his objective wasn't there. "Do you all need something?" The diamond person asked, a smile slipping onto his face.

"What’re you doin'?" Ace asked, looking more confused than ever. Atreo pursed her lips so she wouldn't laugh at his expression. "This?" The diamond dude gestured towards the rose he was painting. "Well, I'm painting the roses red." He explained to them as if they were children who learned about the color red.

"Eh? Why do such a thing?" Deuce asked, looking a little concerned for the guy. So did Ace as he had his eyebrows pinched near each other. Atreo just stood there, feeling a great sense of deja vu to the point where she had to glance at her hands to see if everything that was happening right was real.

"Hm. Your reactions are so fresh it’s kinda cute!~" The guy with orange hair sing-sang before placing a finger on his cheek and tapped on it several times then his eyes lit up with realization. "Now that I look at you closely, you guys are the freshies who wrecked the 10 million madol chandelier and caused a ruckus yesterday." The diamond guy chirped out.

Ace sighed as he tilted his head downwards in shame while Deuce covered his face with his hand. "I feel like they won’t let that chandelier thing go until we graduate." Ace mumbled out as Deuce agreed with a noise that sounded like he was embarrassed by the incident.

The orange-haired guy let his leaf green eyes trail over to Ace, a smile still on his face. "And you're the guy who ate the dorm leader's tart!~" He said, pointing at the collar that was still on Ace. Ace blinked before an aura of shame completely enveloped Ace. Atreo felt bad and patted his back in reassurance.

"I’m so lucky to meet the rumored freshies so early in the morning!~" The diamond guy said before getting down the ladder and heading towards Ace and Deuce. "Hey, hey! Let’s take a pic together yeah?~" He brought out his phone and angled it so that he, Ace, and Deuce were in the photo. Atreo did a peace sign with the guy, even going as far as to stick her tongue out with Grim clinging on to her sleeve.

He did a peace sign as he said 'yay!' and they all heard the camera shutter noise from his phone, signaling that he did take a picture of them. The orange-haired guy brought down his phone to see the picture. Atreo peaked over his shoulder, curious to what it looked like, and had to hold in her laughter at the sight. Ace and Deuce looked a bit blurry and disorientated, making a funny face accidentally while the diamond dude was completely still and pretty. She looked alright, no complaints there.

Well seems like he liked it enough to ask everyone for permission and their names for it. "Hey, can I upload this on MagiCam? I wanna put hashtags so tell me your names." He said as he was now messing around on his phone. Deuce said his name and so did Ace, although Ace looked and sounded more annoyed than Deuce did. Grim made it his job to introduce themselves. "I'm Grim and this right here, is my follower, Atreo!" He said, patting Atreo on the head like she was the pet and not the owner. 

"Alright then, upload done!~" He put his phone away before looking at the freshman squad. He snapped his fingers, "Ah, I'm Cater, Cater Diamond!~ I'm a 3rd year so that makes me your senior!~ You can call me Cater-kun, Cate, or Cay!~ Either one is fine!~" He said in a jolly tone as he did a peace sign followed by a wink. "Nice to meetcha!~" Cater chirped out.

"Nice to meet ya. This guy is really carefree huh?" Atreo sweatdropped, mumbling the last part to Grim who nodded in agreement. "Don't think we ever met one like that," Grim said as if they just met a new type of species of a nonexistent animal. Regardless of what they said, it was as if Cater had a super hearing as his superpower and turned his head towards them.

"Oh hey!~" Cater went towards Atreo, slinging an arm on her shoulder. "I didn't know the school allowed females?" Cater said looking into Atreo's green eyes. Atreo's lips went thin and Cater took that chance to not piss her off. "Oh well! So you're the Ramshackle's supervisor I've been hearing about! Though, I'm surprised you live in a dorm like that," Cater sighed, a bit of a mocking tone slipping underneath.

"t’s so dark, and I feel like something’s gonna pop out! That and you can't get lighting for pictures. I feel sorry for you," Cater said before patting Atreo's head before going back to the ladder he was on previously. "Man, is he mocking us or something?" Grim said, looking a bit irritated by Cater's words. "If he is, he's doing a pretty good job making it sound friendly," Atreo mumbled out, just as irritated.

"Ah!" Cater suddenly looked panicked, "I can't just stand here and talk all day! I gotta paint these roses red! The party’s the day after tomorrow and it’s off with my head if I’m late! Hey, hey, freshies.~ Can you help me with painting the flowers?" Cater asked politely. Oh if he knew what would happen next, he surely would regret asking them to help out.


	25. Episode 1 - 4: Thousand Senior

"Ne, why are you doing somethin’ so strange?" Ace asked before any of them could move a muscle to help out Cater. Cater hummed as he dipped the brush he was using before into the bucket and brought it out back to slather the roses with the red paint. "I mean, won’t it be more photogenic if the roses were red for the party?~" Cater said though it turned into a question towards the end as if he wasn't sure himself.

"I’m really busy too because I’m also in charge of coloring the flamingos for the croquet match." Cater hummed as he painted the white roses red. "Eh, you gotta change their colors?! Man, your chores are so weird." Grim said, looking surprised you can change a bird's color. Atreo frowned, knowing that it's impossible and could be harmful to the bird. Maybe it's different because it's magic?

"So, the tarts that Ace ate were to be used for the dorm leader's birthday party? I see now. So that’s why he was so mad." Deuce observed, sighing, realizing that they were perhaps in deep shit and for food no less. Cater stopped painting, looking confused. "What? That's not it." He said.

"It ain't?!" Ace yelled out before correcting his attitude, coughing into his hand. "Then whose birthday is it?" Ace asked. "It’s no one’s birthday. The day after tomorrow is our dorm’s legendary Unbirthday Party." Cater explained, "It’s a tea party that the dorm leader felt like doing, so he chose a day that doesn’t fall on anyone’s birthday." 

Ace scrunched up his face in confusion. "The heck is that nonsense?" Meanwhile, Atreo thought that although it sounded confusing, it sounded nice that they wouldn't have a party on one someone's special day. Though, isn't that the point of a party? To celebrate their special day? Whatever, her brain was starting to hurt from thinking too much.

"Whatever you came here for can wait!~ You just have to help me paint the roses! Deuce-chan and Grim-chan can use magic, right?" The two mentioned nodded their head when Cater asked them. "Ace-chan and Atreo-chan can’t use magic, so here’s a paintbrush!~" Cater said, handing both Ace and Atreo a brush to start painting the roses.

Atreo beamed, feeling a rush of happiness as she quickly got a bucket of paint and went to a bush. It's been so long since she was able to paint anything! Cater chuckled at her enthusiastic attitude. "How cute.~ Now then let's start!" Before any of them could start, Grim and Deuce looked hesitant.

"Ch - change the colors with magic, you mean?" Deuce asked, suddenly losing composure while Grim just looked bored, yet sarcastically looking irritated. "I haven’t done anything like that before, y'know," Grim said, flickering an ear and his tail swishing. 

"It’s okay, relax!~ We’ll manage! We better hurry before the dorm leader punishes us all!~" Cater sing-sang as he saw Grim and Deuce immediately kick it into high gear just by the mention of punishment. "Alright, let’s hurry and paint the roses red!~ Not pink, not green, got it? I’m countin’ on you to paint it a pretty red!" Cater instructed.

"Geez, guess we can’t say no. We just have to get this over with, right?" Ace said, looking at Atreo who was childishly painting the roses. "Huh? Oh yeah sure!" Atreo chirped as she colored the inside of the rose's petals delicately. Ace sweatdropped before sighing miserably.

"I don’t know if we can give satisfactory results, but I will do my best!" Deuce shouted, putting his fist against his chest. Grim nodded in agreement." Somethin’ like this is gotta be easy for someone like me! You do your best too henchmen, got it?" Atreo was humming as she already went to the next rose. Everyone but Cater sweatdropped at her eagerness. 

Some of the roses were painted by casting spells on them, though there were some mistakes. Thankfully Cater was there to help clean those mistakes up. "Looks like it's going well," Deuce said, inspecting some of the roses that were colored. "Alright, I’ll end this all in one move!" Grim said before casting a spell on some of the already painted roses.

"Wha?!" Grim yelled in shock. The roses became multicolored. Some were blue, some were green, pink, and it seems like there might've even been a yellow one. "No worries!~ This is how it’s done, watch!~" Cater said before summoning a big spell that turned the colorful roses back to red.

"Th - third years are amazing!" Ace gaped as he finished painting a rose. Atreo every few seconds would glance back to see how everyone was doing and at one point she stopped, becoming memorized by the spells that were being casted. Her eyes were wide and full of wonder. "Let's try again yeah?" Cater clapped his hands together as a spokesperson would.

"Behold! I made them all red this time!" Grim cheered, only painting one single rose red. "Me too," Deuce said in shock that he managed to paint a rose red. "Amazing!~Just a little more practice and it’ll be perfect!~" Cater said as he inspected the roses they painted before turning to Grim and Deuce. "It helps you a bit more if you imagine a red rose while you’re casting your magic." Cater said, giving them a tip.

"I see. Red roses, red roses." Deuce chanted to himself. Ace was paying attention to the whole thing before putting his face into the bush. "I wanna do magic, too!" Ace whined childishly while Atreo looked at him, chuckling at his misfortune. "If only you would've eaten something else, like a sandwich," Atreo mocked him a bit before resuming to painting the roses on the bush she was on.

"Red, red." Deuce chanted to himself again before casting a spell on a singular white rose. "There! AH!" Deuce yelled out when the white rose ended up blue. "It turned blue!" Deuce said before sighing, putting a hand on his face, dragging it down, and stopping at his mouth. "How? It looks so easy to do yet so hard to get the color right." He mumbled to himself.

"You will change colors!" Grim yelled out before a spell came out of the stone that was on Grim's scarf. Suddenly only the roses caught on fire. "AH! I SET THEM ON FIRE!" Grim panicked before Cater came in casting a water spell before painting the roses red. 

"Erm, you guys are a lot worse than I thought you’d be." Cater said, looking a bit nervous but cleaning up their mistakes like the good senior he is. Ace made a face as he put the brush down and looked at Cater. "Why can’t the roses stay white? They’re pretty." That made Atreo stop painting as she glanced at Ace, eyes a little wide. Now that, she remembers saying in that weird dream.

"It's a tradition that's why!~ When it's for an unbirthday Party, the roses should always be red! No other color!" Cater stated, acting like he was scolding a bunch of first graders. "And it’s been decided that the bat for the croquet match are flamingos which is in seven different colors while the hedgehogs are the balls!" Cater said, gesturing with his hands.

"Oh, but for the flower concert during spring, the roses should be white. This is all important, so remember them." Cater chided, waving his finger around. "It's best to remember them too so that later you guys won't be struggling to get the tasks done."

"Nothing but weird rules!" Grim stated, crossing his arms. Cater laughed freely, "They say these rules were made by the Queen of Hearts from the Great Seven. Riddle-kun’s a pretty straight-laced dorm leader who protects the Queen’s rules to a T, got it?~ Though I won't deny that he goes overboard sometimes," Cater said, giving out an awkward chuckle at the statement he gave.

Ace blinked before his eyes widened as he just remembered what the squad was there for. "Ah, I don't have time for things like this," He frowned, "Cater-senpai, is the dorm leader still here? I have things to discuss with him." Cater hummed in thought as he placed his index finger on his chin. 

"Hmm, I think you have some time before he leaves for classes. Speaking of!~ Did you bring some tarts back? You know, to make up what you took?" Cater questioned, lifting his index finger that was his chin to point at Ace. 

Ace blinked again. "Eh? Well, I came here first thing in the morning, so I kinda came here empty-handed." Ace said. Cater winced visibly making a noise that was similar to a 'tch' but more drawn out. "Ah, is that so? Then since Rule #53 of the Queen of Hearts states that 'You have to replace things that you stole.' I can’t let you back in the dorm." Cater was able to say with a polite smile on his face.

"Huh?! What kinda rule is that?!" Ace yelled out, eyes wide as Cater advanced on them all. Cater still had that polite smile on his face. "You have to follow the rules if you’re staying in this dorm y'know? If I let it slide, then it’s off with my head, too and well, I don't really want that yeah? I'm sure you understand, considering you have it on yourself!" Cater said 

Cater brought out his magic pen, and pointed at the others. "Sorry freshies, but I'll have you leave before dorm leader Riddle will notice that tart theft Ace is here." Cater said smiles and all yet one could tell that he was completely serious. "Wha?! He looks totally serious! You guys, do something!" Ace said, turning to look at a shocked Deuce and a nonchalant Atreo.

"W - why me?!" Deuce said as Ace suddenly went behind him for protection. Atreo sighed seeing that there was no point in fighting Cater. Grim looked at a retreating Atreo near the entrance of the maze, rather the one entrance they came through when trying to find the dorm leader. Before Grim could follow or say anything, he was thrown into the mix. "I’m begging you! I can’t use magic right now! Ah, here he comes!" Ace yelled.

Atreo hummed as she walked herself to the fountain from earlier and sat down on it, legs wide as she put her hands behind her head. The sound of rushing water and the screams of her friends. Soon Cater came to the fountain, Deuce, and Ace in each hand dangling with their feet dragging on the floor. Grim trotted beside Cater, looking somewhat disappointed, probably because of the outcome of the fight.

"Alrighty!~ Come back when you’ve got a tart!~ Bye-bye!~" Cater said letting go of their bodies, each making an 'ack!' noise when dropped to the ground harshly. Cater then waved the group goodbye as he went back into the rose maze, probably to finish up painting the roses red. 

Atreo leaned over to inspect the damage on the two boys. "Did you guys have fun?" She asked, holding in her snickers at their defeated looks. Guess Ace heard her trying to hold them in since he got up, dusting off his pants with an annoyed expression. "What’s with that guy? Also, why didn't you help us?" He asked Atreo who shrugged. "Was I going to make a difference because personally, I don't think I could," Atreo said honestly.

Ace sweatdropped at her blunt answer before sighing, knowing that in a way she was right. "He came standing back up no matter how much we hit him. Maybe it's illusory magic he was using?" Deuce theorized, trying his hardest to make up as to why Cater kept bouncing back to the fight regardless of what they did to him.

"Not only that but we got turned away because we didn't have a tart? We didn't even bring anything to begin." Ace stated, looking even more annoyed as he thought about it. "Ah! He kicked us out after he made us help with the flowers, too! Ugh, I'm getting more pissed just thinking about it!" Ace snarled out as he facepalmed, dragging his hand down his face in exhaustion.

Atreo patted his back, trying to make the gesture seem comforting but Ace was being a bit petty and moved away from her. "Eh, he's a shrewd one for sure." Grim sighed out, looking more and more disappointed the more Ace pointed it out. "I kinda agree. It's like he knew that none of us knew about the rules considering we're new." Atreo said, realizing that Cater was super nice yet deceiving. 

"Not only that but man it felt like he was mocking us the entire time we were there," Atreo mumbled while Ace nodded in agreement. "He totally was." Ace said out of spite. Deuce shook his head, knowing that Atreo and Ace were teaming up against Cater who wasn't there to defend himself. 

"Then, we’ll have to prepare some tarts to make up for it," Deuce stated while Atreo and Ace looked up at him with some pouts. "After school would be... " Deuce trailed off before his brain was hit with realization. "Shit! This is bad!" Deuce cursed out making Atreo and Ace looked at him confused. Grim climbed onto Atreo, plopping himself on top of her head. 

"Huh? What's wrong Deuce?" Atreo asked, still confused before she choked on air realizing his choice of words before he cursed out loudly. "This is bad, it’s way past call time! We’re going to be late!" Deuce said in a panic. Atreo scrambled up from the fountain, almost tripping on her own feet. Thankfully Deuce was there if she were to fall.

"Uwah! The first day of my shining school life will be tarnished! Let’s hurry to the classroom!" Grim yelled out, panic dancing in his big blue eyes before he tugged at Atreo's hair, trying to get her to move. Atreo winced then slapped Grim on the back. "Stop that! We're new! We'll be fine and excused! Besides, the headmaster has told the staff apparently."

With that the squad went off to the main building and out of the dorm, walking without a care in the world knowing that they were safe because of Grim and Atreo being new students. "Speaking of, what’s your class? You’re a 1st year, right?" Ace asked Atreo. 

Atreo pursed her lips. "Technically If I was originally from here and male, I would be a second year." "HUH?!" Both Ace and Deuce whirled back to face Atreo. "What?" Atreo said, looking a bit irritated. "Just how old are you?!" Ace yelled out before Deuce elbowed Ace's side. "You don't ask a woman that idiot!" Atreo groaned before answering. "I'm 17 years old and back in my world I was a junior."

Silence then Ace broke it by being Ace. "Pfft! That means you flunked!" Ace pointed out, laughing before Deuce hit him on the head. Atreo rolled her eyes and huffed angrily, silently fuming that in a way, Ace was right. Thankfully Grim butted in. "Well, the headmaster said we're in 1-A!" 

Deuce blinked his eyes in surprise before smiling a bit. "Then we're in the same classes. The first period is all about Magical Alchemy, like potions and stuff." Atreo and Grim had stars in their eyes. "Oh, I never thought I see potions in real life!" "Oh, I never thought I'd make potions!" They said at the same time, having similar thoughts.

"It all sounds so cool and fun!" The Ramshackle duo cheered, excited to start their first day. Deuce just chuckled at their antics while Ace sighed. "I can’t use magic, remember? Am I gonna be okay?" Ace asked, voicing out his current worries. Atreo heard him before ruffling his hair making him glare at her.

"Don't worry Ace, if you need help from your resident magicless student, I'm here to help since now, you're also magicless." Atreo grinned almost maliciously making Ace go pale white and shiver at the direct insult he had said when they first met. 

"Y - you're never going to let that go huh?" He asked out of curiosity. Atreo's grin grew. "What do you think Ace?~" She sing-sang. Ace immediately turned his head to look at the others for help. Grim was innocently examining Atreo's hair while Deuce was fixing his glove repeatedly. 'Traitors!' Ace's mind screamed at them as he knew, he was at Atreo's mercy. Atreo cackled manically before grabbing Ace's arm to drag him to class that they needed to attend to. Behind them, both Grim and Deuce silently prayed for Ace's future wellbeing.


	26. Episode 1 - 5: First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally I was just gonna name this chapter its original name which is "Hasty Escapee" but I figured since we haven't hit that part then there was no point of me naming it that so,,, yeah lmao

Atreo knocked on the door that was supposedly her first period. The one-braincell trio was hiding behind her. Deuce and Ace a little nervous because of the teacher that was inside the room and Grim, well he's Atreo's other student half so he needed to be by her side regardless. "Come in!" A familiar voice chimed from inside the classroom. Atreo opened the door and audibly gasped, seeing that the strict teacher that Ace and Deuce were gossiping about was Mr. Crewel, the only other person that is supporting her. 

A surprised look came over Crewel's facial features before he settled it down with a smile, though one could say that it was more like a smirk. "I see. You’re the fresh new faces who will be joining my class today yes? Please, take a seat and we will start class." The first-year squad went to take their seats. "My what unusual hair colors some of you guys have," Crewel said loudly, eyes looking at Ace's and Deuce's hair color.

"Not bad at all. Make sure to take care of it daily then." Crewel suggested as he walked to the center of the room to make his introduction. "My name is Divus Crewel. You shall refer to me as Master Crewel if you please." Atreo could feel her jaw slackened, seeing Crewel being a completely different person than how he was with her. Also, Master Crewel? She knows that this is an all boys-school but even then, she was not expecting that. Atreo would later deny it but she felt her face flare-up in red.

"First off, a few disclaimers," Crewel stated, gliding around, not too far from the center of the room. To Atreo, it was as if he was dancing, just taking long, slow elegant steps. "I shall have your tiny brains remember hundreds of names plus appearances of medicinal herbs and poisonous plants." Crewel said, suddenly bringing out a whip-like pointer, or at least that's what Atreo thought it was. He slapped it upon his palm as if to prove a point and the majority of the classmates flinched.

"And mushrooms, fungi in general, are a whole different topic. I’ll have you remember them so that you don’t accidentally poison yourself if you eat some when you go for a walk. Dogs love to eat anything they see, after all." At the mentions of mushrooms, Atreo shivered as she remembered Jade's indirect threat about them then felt dumbfounded. Did this teacher just call her a dog? She knows he meant everyone but man, she really did feel out of place here.

Atreo was so into instructions that she failed to realize that she was supposed to have her lab coat on and goggles. Thankfully Deuce elbowed her side and gestured towards the necessities that were hanging off of the table by hooks that were installed on the side of the tables. Once Crewel was looking in a different direction than theirs, Atreo quickly pulled it on, brushing her long strands of hair behind her ears.

"I see," Deuce said, looking as confident as he can be then ruined his confident image. "By the way, what's a 'fungi'?" Deuce whispered, leaning towards Atreo who looked at him, shocked that he didn't know about fungi. Then she felt it, her bad humor coming out. "Don't worry," She whispered back, "I heard that fungi is a really fun guy." The only response she got back was a confused noise from Deuce and a choking chuckle from Ace who tried his best not to laugh at the stupid joke.

Atreo started to zone out as she stared around the room. She heard Ace mutter, "I'm pretty bad with memorization," then Grim's "If it’s grass, we just have to figure out if it’s delicious or not, right?" but ignored it in favor of examining the room. Bottles were lined up in selves, all varying in different colors, and sizes. Atreo's attention spanned towards the empty cauldron that Mr. Crewel was standing by. Even the floor was different, a full circle concrete where the cauldron sat upon.

Guess time went by and the class was ending because she saw other people put up their lab coats on the hooks. She blinked and the bell rang. Suddenly everyone was rushing out of the door and she was flabbergasted. Even Ace and Deuce were no longer by her side. Grim blinked as well, before turning to Atreo with a long confused look. Atreo sighed before putting up her lab coat and goggles. 

"Oh! Puppy!" Mr. Crewel greeted seeing as she was the only one left in the room. She turned to him, face flushing as she remembered his words from earlier. "H - hey Mr. Crewel," She greeted in return, trying to cool down her face. "It's nice to see that you're wearing your signature sweater now," Crewel laughed before patting her head. "You might want to head to your next class before you get there and get in trouble." Crewel advised.

Atreo widened her eyes before bolting out of the door, passing by Ace and Deuce who were waiting for her by the doorway. "Woah where's the fire?!" Ace exclaimed seeing how fast she went out of the classroom. Atreo almost skidded on the ground when she turned to face them. "O - oh! I thought you guys left me." Atreo sheepishly admitted it. Ace pursed his lips so he wouldn't laugh at her while Deuce smiled.

"I'm not that heartless," Ace huffed out, pouting slightly. Deuce and Atreo gave him a hesitant glance before shrugging in response. "So, where to next?" Atreo asked as both Ace and Deuce lead the way to the next class. "Magical History," Deuce responded as they fast-walked their way to class.

Upon entering, Atreo realized that this was one of the classrooms she sped by when Grim first chased her. There was still some time before the second bell rang and that explained why some students were talking wildly and loudly. Atreo spotted some tablespaces that were available and beckoned the others to follow her to them. 

Once settled down in between Ace and Deuce, Atreo didn't realize it back in the first period but there was a lot of staring towards her. She shuffled in her seat, very uncomfortable by the stares despite the loud atmosphere. Deuce noticed and was going to ask her what was wrong but then the teacher walked in, everyone suddenly hushing up at the teacher's appearance. 

An old gentleman walked up to the desk that was on the opposite side of the room. One thing that caught Atreo's attention about the old man was the cat he was holding on a pillow.  _ 'Finally something normal!' _ Atreo's mind cried out, seeing the cat in the old man's arms.

"I am Trein, the professor in charge of Magical History and this is my familiar, Lucius." Atreo wanted to go up and pet the cat so badly, her attention mostly focused on the cat who seem to stare back into her soul. "I shall have you learn the history behind the magic that you are using now." 

Then Lucius let out a long growly meow that made Atreo put a hand to her mouth so she wouldn't make any noise, closing her eyes. She had to restrain herself! The cat was just too cute! Ace saw the gesture and looked at Atreo like she was crazy. 

Trein continued, "I do not only grade by your reports, but also by how you behave in my classroom. I will not tolerate sleeping in class." Atreo glanced around to see if anyone was listening and already, some students were dozing off, trying their hardest to stay awake. _ 'I guess his voice would put you to sleep,' _ Atreo thought as she went back to having the staring contest with Lucius.

"Now then, please turn to page 15 in your textbooks." All of the students suddenly brought out textbooks from underneath the desks. Atreo looked between Ace and Deuce, wondering where it came from before taking a peek underneath her desk, and there it was. A thin space that indeed was filled with books! Though it seemed like there was one so far. She grabbed it and got it out, putting it gently on the desk, flipping to page 15 as Trein instructed.

"We will start with the magic crystals that were discovered inside the Dwarf Mines." Lucius let out another long growly meow and Atreo had to try not to coo at the cute adorable familiar that was practically giving her a death stare. "The magical energy from the crystals then spread itself around worldwide during the century after it was discovered. We call this, 'The Beginning of Magic.'" Trein said, followed by Lucius's meow.

Although the cat was distracting her, Atreo was actually eager to learn about the history of this world. She leaned forward as if she was watching a horror movie, waiting for a jumpscare but there was none. As Mr. Trein continued, she heard Ace yawn and she took a glance at him. He was trying not to lay his head down and she winced. He's gonna have a sore neck from the sudden movements he was doing.

"Oh! The Dwarf Mines, huh… Oh! Magical energy, huh…" Deuce trailed off, struggling for his brain to continue to listen but it was as if the entire class except Atreo had drunk a sleeping potion before class. Atreo glanced at him as well, seeing that Deuce was squinting so that his eyelids wouldn't close. Atreo pursed her lips so she wouldn't laugh. Next, it was Grim's turn to complain about the class.

"Ugh," Grim whined, tail flickering aggressively, "I want a more explosive and flashier magic class!" Atreo couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Lower your expectations then. I think this class is interesting considering I don't know much." She hissed out, having the urge to wack Grim on top of his head but suppressing it for the sake of not getting in trouble on the first day of school.

Then the bell rang, shaking literally everyone out of their sleepiness. This time everyone took their sleepy time. The only one who was ready at a normal speed was Atreo who waved bye to Trein who didn't wave but nodded at her goodbye. Atreo couldn't help but be childish as she also waved bye to Lucius who yawned in her direction. This time she was able to coo loudly before aggressively telling Ace and Deuce to hurry up so they can make it in time for the next class.

Thankfully they were able to make it to the next class. She guesses that the next class was P.E since it was out in a grassy field. "Yo, so you're Atreo!" A burly guy said, going up to Atreo who flinched at the sudden approach. "Y - yeah and what of it?" She stuttered yet her mind was going a million thoughts per second. The burly buff guy reached out a hand. Atreo blinked before hesitantly slipping her hand onto his. They both shook hands.

"I'm Vargas and I'm the coach at this school! I heard you wanted to do self-defense right? The headmaster informed me of your situation and he mentioned self-defense and I thought, 'Well there no better person to learn about self-defense from, than me!'" Mr. Vargas said, looking mighty proud of himself. All of the first-year squad sweatdropped at his words but didn't say anything in fear of angering him.

"Yeah, I'm surprised he mentioned that though," Atreo admitted, ruffling her hair in nervousness. "So am I," Mr. Vargas said. "Anyhow, I'll teach you! Though it's up to you to stay on schedule and stuff when it comes to it. You can bring friends if it makes you uncomfortable!" He suggested, seeing how awkward Atreo was being. 

Atreo lit up at the suggestion before nodding her head. "Good, good!" Vargas applauded before coughing into his hand. "Now, we have to discuss stuff like what you'll be changing into and where at for this period since, well this is all an all-boys school." Ah, he did have a good point. It wasn't like she came here prepared though.

"I know! You'll have to wear this extra Ignihyde gym uniform! None of the Ignihyde dorm members ever come to athletics so," Vargas shrugged. "Now hmm." He began to think, rubbing his beard. Atreo glanced at Ace and Deuce who wore expressions that, didn't suit them. She couldn't exactly pinpoint their emotions so she went back to looking at Vargas who snapped his fingers.

"Aha! You can change in my office. It locks on the inside so no one can get in when you change. It's perfect! Come on, let's get you and your friends some gym uniforms!" And with that, the first-year squad followed Vargas to the changing rooms and where gym uniforms were laid out. 

Soon the first-year squad, along with others, were out in the field, dressed in their gym uniforms. Atreo flopped her sleeves out of habit, grinning as she felt the urge to hit Ace in the face with her floppy sleeves. And she did. Ace spluttered as he felt sleeves hit his face. 

Before Ace could retaliate, Vargas spoke in a booming loud voice. "I’m Vargas and I’m in charge of watching over your physical education! Excellent magic starts with excellent bodies! Behold! These muscles that I train every day!" He said as he began to do bodybuilder poses. Atreo had to cover her face to prevent from anyone hearing her snort of laughter.

"A magician with no stamina is unspeakable! First, do 20 laps around the field and then a 100 sit-ups!" Atreo could feel her jaw drop at the sheer amount of numbers. Was this teacher for real? Seems like Ace agrees with her. "Eh. I don’t hate exercise, but I can’t handle teachers like him." Ace said, sighing as he shook his head. Atreo nodded in agreement. "What’s so fun about running around? I’m not a hamster, y'know," Grim pouted. Everyone ignored him.

"Not even my old coach was this strict," Atreo said, eyebrows pinched in worry but decided, fuck it, she'll try, she'll just be super sore when it'll come to after-school self-defense. "I have confidence in my physical abilities and stamina," Deuce said, with a smirk on his face. "I have confidence in my stamina as well since I did track and field back then," Atreo said as she began to stretch her legs.

"Oh, you were in track and field?" Deuce asked, also doing some stretch warm-ups. "Yeah, was. I'm not anymore. Taking a break from that. Say do you guys have clubs here too?" She questioned as she now was stretching her arms. Atreo noticed that Deuce looked a little down from her answer but didn't seem like it bothered him too much.

"Oh, we have clubs here," Ace answered Atreo's question. "What type of clubs do you guys have here? Maybe I'll join one if I ever have the time." At that, both Ace and Deuce perked up. "You should try the basketball club then! You don't necessarily have to be on the official team! You can just play here and there! I mean, you kinda have to, considering your gender and all," Ace said, frowning as he realized that he was right.

"W - well," Deuce stuttered, eyes looking everywhere except at Atreo. "I - I know you said you were taking a break but maybe, once you see the club you could return to it?" Deuce shyly said, face turning red a bit. Atreo hummed in thought. "I'll check them out but there is no guarantee I'll join. I might just go for something where I don't always have to attend seeing that I'll be busy with cleaning up the dorm and self-defense classes."

Both of the boys sagged their shoulders before sighing, realizing that she was right, she might not even have time for a club. "Is it mandatory? Like do I have to be in a club?" "Sort of?" Ace said, putting his hands behind his head as he waited for Deuce and Atreo to finish up so they could do the laps together. "Maybe you'll be an exception but I really doubt it."

Atreo sighed before getting ready to take off at Mr. Vargas's whistle. Everyone else did the same. Vargas blew his whistle and soon everyone took off. Atreo wasn't going fast considering her past with track and field but she does remember always being one of the first ones to burn out more quickly if she went fast so she took her time, unlike the ADeuce duo who were now going as fast. 

They were both trying to outrun each other, and it was kinda hilarious seeing the faces they made at each other. Just like Atreo predicted, they were quick to burn out and she was able to pass them, sticking her tongue out as she grinned. 

She didn't notice a mint-green hair colored first year who was next to her the entire time. To be honest, it wasn't like he was paying attention either, as they both were able to finish the laps. Atreo was heaving a bit before inhaling and exhaling. Soon the ADeuce duo finished and began to argue about who won their little race making Atreo had to go over to break them up. Antique gold-colored eyes looked to the loud group and shook his head in disappointment before going off in a random direction.


	27. Episode 1 - 6: Destroyed Treasure

The first-year squad was now walking through a hallway. It was break time but it was more like a study period than anything. Atreo groaned, feeling super sore from P.E. Ace and Deuce threw her a concerned look but didn't say anything. "Let's see... The next class is..." Deuce trailed off, mumbling to himself. 

Ace stood by a window and leaned on it, closing his eyes, sighing as he did so. "For a magic school, it doesn’t really feel that much different from a normal school, huh?" Atreo sat on the floor, groaning in relief before answering Ace. "Dunno what kinda school you guys went to but this is normal from where I'm from." She stated, leaning her head against the cool wall.

Ace gave her a swift glare before mumbling to himself. "It’s a lot more… ordinary than I thought. Guess I don’t have to worry much even without magic." Atreo snickered at that but closed her eyes, just enjoying the small cold breezes that ran through the open air. "Don't ya think so too, Grim? ...Grim?" Ace repeated as he didn't get an answer from Grim. 

Atreo shifted her body where her back was straight flat against the wall, and opened her eyes, looking around for Grim. "Huh? Grim?" She repeated as well seeing that Grim was no longer there. Then they both heard Deuce violently gasp like a fish would that needed water immediately. "Look outside the window! That furball running in the courtyard!" 

Quicker than lightning, Atreo stumbled straight onto her feet while Ace turned as fast as he could. Both leaned on the open window, seeing that Grim was indeed booking it away from them. Grim must have super hearing as he turned back to mock them, giving Atreo flashbacks to how they all first met. "As if I’d sit and stay in boring classes like that all day! I’m a genius, so I’ll be a great magician even if I don’t take those classes, y'know?" He said before continuing what he was doing.

Atreo gaped, "Skipping on the first fuckin' day?! Are you serious?!" Atreo then groaned, "Headmaster's gonna be so pissed." Deuce sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "Running away on the first day. That guy just doesn’t learn, huh?" Ace had a blank look on his face before a huge smirk came over it as he turned around to look back at Atreo who downright looked visibly exhausted by Grim's actions. 

"Being negligent on the first day, are we, Atreo?~" Ace purred as he went up to Atreo's side, putting his elbow on the sill, placing his chin as he stared into Atreo's green hues. Atreo gulped at how pretty Ace was and how sultry he was acting. "So, do ya want us to help you catch Grim?" Ace grinned. Atreo deadpanned before sighing.

"Please!" She begged, feeling her sore legs feel incredibly heavy. She knows she wouldn't be able to get far. Oh if only she didn't quit track and field! Ace grinned widely, looking more like a certain grinning cat that flashed in Atreo's mind for a split second before a headache presented itself. 

"I want some chocolate croissants from the cafeteria!" Ace said, now up and away from Atreo who gaped at him, before pursing her lips into a thin line. Deuce also pursed his lips into a thin line but for a different reason before he smiled, tapping on Atreo's shoulder to get her attention. Atreo turned around and blinked, confused about what he wanted.

"Then, I shall have some café latte from the cafeteria as well," Deuce spoke elegantly. Atreo looked at him with shocked eyes before sighing and narrowing her eyes at the duo who now seemed like mischievous devils rather than cute angels. "Whatever," She grumbled, not wanting to stoop so low to beg them even more.

"Eh, are you sure you wanna respond with that? Y'know, Grim's getting away!~" Ace sing sang as he danced around Atreo who glowered at him. "Fine, fine! It's a deal!" Atreo growled out, wanting to punch Ace but knowing it wouldn't do her any good. She sat back down on the wall, crossing her arms with a pout on her face.

"And that’s a deal! Alright, shall we go help out our helpless Atreo, Deuce-kun?~" Ace taunted the deal in Atreo's face who made a sour expression. Deuce joined in. "Sure thing, Ace-kun.~ I’m looking forward to lunchtime." Deuce grinned, somehow looking more intimidating than Ace. Atreo shivered, now wondering if it was a good idea to ask the duo to help.

Said duo nodded at each other before running down the hallway to get Grim. As their footsteps faded away Atreo sighed, slumping on the wall. Minutes past then she could hear the shrill yells of Grim and the ADeuce duo. As she focused on the noises they made she failed to notice someone else's footsteps. She quickly glanced up to see a male with long black hair, looking at her.

The male with the black ponytail stared at her for a bit before closing his eyes, not seemingly caring why she was there. He opened his eyes and turned his head towards the fighting trio then back at her. Instead of a blank look he had earlier, he now had a look of understanding and nodded his head, as if he understood her pain. Atreo's eyes sparkled a bit before nodding her head sadly in agreement.

No words were exchanged other than actions and soon the male with the black hair and ponytail lifted his hand up to signal a goodbye before taking his leave, exiting down the stairs where the duo went. Atreo lifted a hand as well but knew the male wouldn't see it either way. Still, it comforted her that she at least was able to say goodbye without words.

Soon Deuce and Ace stomped their eyes back up the stairs and into the hallway with a pouting Grim. "Don’t wanna, don’t wanna! I don’t wanna go back to boring classes!" He whined as Ace held him by the collar. Atreo narrowed her eyes hatefully as she stood up, snatching Grim by the scruff. "Then I guess you don't want to be the greatest magician. Deuce and Ace are more capable at that than you because they attend classes." She spat out venomously.

Grim flinched before growling lowly. "Damn it! You’re being kinda harsh today!" "I'm only being harsh so we won't get in trouble! Did you not hear the headmaster yesterday?" Atreo argued back as she stomped her way back into the courtyard, going left with Deuce, and Ace following her like little ducklings.

"Cafeterias that way," Ace pointed out making Atreo turn around quickly, still steaming with anger. "I knew that!" She yelled out before stomping her way to the right, ignoring the way Deuce exasperatedly sighed and the way Ace laughed at her.

When Atreo burst through the cafeteria, the anger quickly vanished and was replaced with anxiety as she suddenly felt stares on her. Thankfully Ace and Deuce interfered by stepping in front of her, shielding her off from other males in the room. "Ah man, I'm so hungry, right Atreo? C'mon dude, don't be such a drag," Ace loudly said, making sure that everyone heard him.

At first, Deuce looked at Ace like he was an idiot but soon caught on. Deuce coughed into his fist. "Y - yeah! P.E. was such a workout, right Atreo? Doing lifts, eh, took out our energy!" Deuce said loudly. Atreo and Ace sweatdropped at his obviousness. Ace turned his head to the side and whispered to Atreo. "Hey, just follow us as close as you can." Atreo nodded as she gulped.

The first-year squad moved awkwardly since Atreo wasn't a small person to begin with. She was just as tall as Deuce if not, a tad bit taller than them both. It was as if a very tall celebrity was making her way down the red carpet and she had two smaller bodyguards. It's a bit of an exaggeration but it's how she felt in this situation.

Soon they found a table that wasn't filled and some seats that were a couple of feet away from some people. Of course, they stared at Atreo, mouths opened and eyes wide. Atreo couldn't help but be irritated at their obviousness and sneered at them, the anger coming back twice as much. Ace immediately waved at them while laughing nervously, making the poor people flinch away and move somewhere else.

Ace turned his head to look at Atreo and was about to ask her what her problem was, seeing how she reacted towards innocent bystanders. Grim was quick as lightning when it came to food. "Yeah! It’s finally lunchtime!~" Grim cheered loudly having some bystanders look towards his way, irritated by his loudness. "You’re too loud! You’re pretty energetic even at lunchtime, huh?" Ace frowned before glancing at Atreo.

Ace figured he ask about it later, if he didn't forget it that is. He leaned towards Atreo once he and Deuce sat down at the table. "Ya remember the deal right?" He teased making Atreo sigh but nodded her head. "Yeah, I do. What were they again?" She asked, flickering her eyes between Ace and Deuce. They told her what they wanted and she stood there, trying to remember the items.

"Okay, so some chocolate croissants and a café latte?" Deuce nodded his head while Ace grinned. "Yep! Sounds about right!~" Atreo made a face but mumbled to herself then motioned Grim to follow her. Grim happily went after her as they both got in line. Soon Grim was slobbering when he saw how buffet-like the cafeteria food was. "I see a lot of delicious stuff already!~" Grim chirped out gleefully as he flew over some of the food.

Atreo grabbed a tray where she was able to collect some food and sweatdropped at the choices. "It’s kinda high-class seeing a buffet here. Is this school like a rich kids' school? God, I feel like I'm Haruhi from Ouran High School Host Club." Atreo mumbled to herself while Grim fanboyed over food. "Look, look!" Grim pointed out, making Atreo look over curiously.

Squid, onions, omelets, grilled chicken, and what seems like a tart that consisted of bacon and eggs. Atreo had a blank expression plastered on her face. "A fluffy omelet! Grilled chicken, a bacon and egg tart!" Grim's stomach growled loudly. "Is it really fine for you to eat squid and onions, Grim?" Atreo said, swearing she saw something move in the onions. 

Grim ignored her as he flew over to the options and looking as if he could inhale the entire servings like Kirby could. "Atreo! I wanna have some grilled chicken! Come on, there’s only one more left!" Grim rushed Atreo who silently glared at him as she was grabbing the stuff Ace and Deuce wanted. 

"Oh, and omelets, too plus bread and jam! Gotta get them all!" Grim zoomed past by, trying to get stuff and put it on Atreo's serving tray but because of that, Grim was too focused on the food rather than his speed or what direction he was heading to. "Ah!" Grim yelled out in surprise as he felt his body jump back from the sudden collision he had with a random person.

The person Grim collided with also yelled out in surprise before anger took over him. "Hey, you bastard!" The person yelled out making Grim flinch. Atreo sensing the situation possibly getting worse, bowed her thanks to the chefs and quickly went to place down the serving tray. Ace and Deuce were confused as to why she seemed to be rushing but immediately got up from their seats at her panicked expression.

"What's wrong?" Duece asked. Atreo shakily pointed towards the growing commotion between Grim and a student. They understood and rushed towards the crowd that was starting to form. Atreo quickly ran after them, pushing her way into the crowd.

"Because of you, ya little runt, the egg in my pasta broke!" The guy with white hair growled out. The guy's friend stepped in, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Oh man, breaking the gooey egg is the best part of eating pasta." He said, putting his hands on his hips as he sighed then walked up to Grim and got into Grim's face. "How’re you gonna pay for that, huh, punk!?" He yelled in Grim's face, making Grim's ears go back.

At first, the guy with white hair sighed in anger before seeing something in Grim's paws before grinning evilly. "Well, you have to make it up to me somehow. How about you give me that grilled chicken? After that, we'll call it even." The guy sneered while Grim flinched. However at the mention of his grilled chicken Grim hissed, tail thrashing around. 

"Hah?! Hell no, this is mine! I got it fair and square!" Grim said holding the grilled chicken in a container tightly to his chest. The guy's friend pulled his upper lip into a snarl. "Huh? Is that how a freshie should talk to his senior? The last time I knew, they shouldn't. How rude!" The guy with red hair snapped as both he and his friend brought out their magic pens, pointing them at Grim.

"S - senpais, using magic for personal gain is against the rules." Deuce interfered, going into the circle space the crowd had formed around them. The guy with white hair looked towards Deuce who gulped silently. "Eh? Personal gain? Nah, this is a lesson from your seniors, you punks!" He said as he now pointed his magic pen towards Deuce who's eyes widened before they narrowed at the sight.

"Grit your teeth!" The guy with red hair laughed before launching some attacks towards Deuce who managed to dodge in time. Deuce kept dodging like crazy like he was in the matrix. Atreo and Ace dropped their mouths in awe before looking at each other, grounding themselves, trying to reassure themselves what they were seeing was happening.

Deuce kept swerving around the magic spells that were heading in his direction. Atreo and Ace just stared before realizing that they should join in. "Alright! It's been a while since I kicked ass! Time to let steam out!" Atreo said as she punched her opened palm. Ace shook his head, "You did the other day? Y'know with the monster?" Atreo looked at him like he was dumb. 

"Well yeah but that was a monster, not a human being. I mean, is there a difference? I guess you're right," Atreo mumbled before steeling her gaze and preparing herself to jump into the fight, which she ended up going in. Ace gaped as he saw Atreo pull her clenched fist back and punched the guy with red hair straight on the jaw. The guy with the red hair stumbled back from the sudden force.

"Oi!" Ace yelled as he stomped towards Atreo. "You shouldn't get into fights! Who knows what they could do to y-" Ace was cut off as Atreo was watching the red hair guy get up and throw a punch towards her direction. She managed to duck in time but perhaps she shouldn't have. The punch went straight to Ace's face who stumbled back, a hand immediately going to his nose if any blood had leaked from it.

Atreo got stood back up from the duck, turning her head to see if Ace was okay. She shivered at Ace's dead cold harsh eyes that were trained on the guy with red hair behind her. Guess he felt it too because he also shivered and backed away slowly. "H - hey, my bad! I wasn't aiming at you, y'know? I was aiming at the broad," The guy snickered along with his friend. 

Atreo felt her blood boil as she turned around, "Huh?" She felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance. "You heard us!" The guy with red hair sneered. Both Ace and Atreo walked up to the guy and glared down at him. Atreo popped her knuckles while Ace popped his fingers. "Are you ready Atreo-chan?~" "Of course, Ace-kun, are you ready?" Atreo sing-sang cheerfully. "Born with it." Ace sneered.

The guy with red hair gulped nervously while the guy with white hair sweated, suddenly thankful that he didn't talk shit towards them. Ace and Atreo looked like monsters that even Deuce and Grim didn't want to look in their direction, in fear that they would turn against them. Let's just say, the guy with red hair was lucky he was able to live if it weren't for Deuce stopping both Ace and Atreo from murdering him.


	28. Episode 1 - 7: Strict Traditions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might be a little shorter than usual but that's because I couldn't come up with any material

With tons of dodging from Deuce and punches from Ace plus Atreo, the guys backed off, breathing heavily despite that all they did was cast spells towards the group. "Y - you’re better than I thought." The guy with white hair huffed out, clearly trying to breathe. "W - w - we’ll let you off this time 'cause my pasta's getting cold." The other excused himself before both of them booked it into the crowd, shoving their way, not at all bothering to apologize to any of the people they bumped into.

Atreo whined as she thought there would be more action in this fight. Ace looked at her like she was insane before sighing, patting her back as she pretended to fake cry. "Heh! All bark and no bite! Serves them right!" Grim huffed out, feeling proud as if he lifted a finger to fight back when in reality, he was just in the background, cheering for Ace, Deuce, and his minion, Atreo, to fight in his place.

Atreo frowned as she remembered at that moment that the headmaster had told them to not be in any trouble and the last time she remembered, fighting was definitely trouble. "Even though we were just told not to get into fights... I ended up in one." Ace threw Atreo a glare as he caught her mumblings. "Yeah, you did. Not only that but you didn't even try to dodge like Deuce did, you straight up used fists."

Atreo pouted before returning Ace a glare of her own. "You can't say anything in that matter, you also used your fists to fight." "I had no choice! He punched me first! Of course, I'm gonna retaliate! That and you punched him first!" Ace and Atreo began to squabble before Ace's stomach growled loudly, making everyone pause in their actions. At that point, the crowd had dispersed and went back to doing their own things.

"Whatever," Ace shook his head as he put his hands into his pants pockets, "Let’s just eat some lunch. I missed breakfast and I feel like I'm about to pass out, man." Ace said as he took a step forward and nearly wobbled to the side. Thankfully Atreo was there to stabilize him a bit. Ace pursed his lips before nodding his head in thanks while Atreo grinned widely as a gremlin would. 

This time it was Deuce's turn to sigh. "That was quite the predicament. To think that there would be such brutes in a prestigious magic school. You know, some people try their hardest to get into this school yet the school lets people like them in instead." Deuce shook his head in disappointment as they all walked their way to the table they claimed as theirs for the time being.

Soon they all sat down, with Atreo and Ace on one side while Deuce and Grim on the other. Atreo had the end seat of the table on her side while Grim had the other end seat on his side. "Alright, let’s get back to business! I’m digging in!~" Grim exclaimed before biting into the food he made Atreo get for him. Everyone in the group smiled at how bright Grim looked after biting the food. 

"Oh! This is so good! The omelet is so fluffy, and the cheese is so melty!~" Grim purred out, whipping his tail around in delight and overall general happiness. Ace and Deuce soon dug into their food while Atreo sighed in relief. "Thank god that this food is free because I literally have no money on me right now. I still need to do that crystal madol exchange with the headmaster." Atreo murmured to herself. Everyone ignored her.

The topic of dorms was brought up by Grim who was still munching away on his food. "By the way, I saw your guys’ dorm a while ago, but what do the other dorms look like?" Grim said with food in his mouth. "Don't talk with your mouth open Grim," Atreo scolded him as she leaned over to clean Grim's face with a napkin. Both Ace and Deuce had an intrusive thought, 'She's treating him like a kid...' They sweatdropped.

Before Ace or Deuce would respond, a familiar voice swooped in. "You’ve seen the statues of the Great Seven by Main Street, right?" The voice said before a tray was placed beside Ace, and another tray placed itself next to Deuce. Then two guys sat down, one looking familiar while the other one was a complete stranger. The stranger had ivy green hair and his eyes were yellow, looking more like mustard, a condiment. What caught Atreo's eyes about him was the club or clover symbol on his cheek.

"This school has seven dorms based on them." Cater said as he sat next to Deuce, grinning as he sent a wink. Towards who, none of them asked. "Ugh! You’re the dude from this morning!" Ace said as the realization hit him and tried his hardest to be away from Cater as best as he could, making him lean on Atreo. Atreo made a face but didn't say anything as she understood Ace's current emotional state.

"Hey! You're the guy who tricked us into painting the roses red!" Grim yelled as he pointed at Cater with one paw, the other holding a piece of food. Cater pouted, though his smile was still present. "Eh? Saying I tricked you is so mean y'know?~ It’s not like I wanted to do that either. I only did it ‘cause it’s the dorm’s rules. Well, one of them." Cater pointed out before grabbing the sandwich he had on his tray.

Deuce didn't believe him and to be honest, neither did the other three who shot Cater a look that just screamed, 'You're a liar!' "You looked so happy when it happened." Deuce pointed out. Cater smiled, though one could tell that what Deuce said bothered him a bit but didn't let it show. "Now, now, Deuce-chan!~ Those rules only apply inside the dorm, not outside!~ So now, I'm just your kind upperclassman!~" Cater said as he leaned towards Deuce to bop Deuce's nose with his finger.

"D - drop the 'chan' senpai!" Deuce yelled as he too started to lean away from Cater. The guy with ivy green hair chuckled, somehow startling both Atreo and Ace. "That’s how Cater expresses his affection, you know?" The guy with glasses said as he turned to Ace and Atreo, noting how they jumped. They completely forgot about him! 

Seems like Deuce and Grim did as well because they quickly turned their heads towards him as quick as lightning. Gawking happened for a minute before Ace asked. "Wait, who are you?" Atreo elbowed his side, making Ace wheeze in pain before shooting her a nasty glare. Atreo shot him a glare back before whispering. 

"That's rude manners! You should've asked him something like, 'And you are?'" She said but Ace felt his eyebrow twitch. "That sounds equally as rude!" He whispered back but before they could fight about manners, the guy they were whispering about coughed into his hand to get their attention. They quickly sat up straight, as if they weren't whispering to begin with.

"My name’s Trey, Trey Clover. I’m a Heartslabyul 3rd year alongside Cater." Trey said as he gestured towards Cater. The first-year squad trailed their eyes back to Cater who waved at them like they were little kids. They trailed their gazes back to the newcomer, Trey. Trey turned his attention to Atreo who blinked at him, wondering what this person could possibly want.

"Oh, and you're the freshman that was put in charge of that ram-" Trey cut himself off by clearing his throat, making Atreo raise an eyebrow. She knew what he was going to say but didn't know why he stopped himself from saying the cold harsh truth. She would've just agreed anyways. Meh, whatever. Trey continued his sentence.

"Unused dorm correct?" He said while looking at Atreo. She nodded. "Yeah, well I mean, now it's being used. Lots of things to clean up." She sighed as if it just hit her that she indeed had a lot of things to clean up in the dorm. Trey gave her a look that screamed 'I understand how you feel' before continuing with what he was going to say. 

"Anyhow, I heard all about it from Cater. Sorry for the trouble our dormmates caused you yesterday and perhaps even before then." Trey apologized, dipping his upper torso in a bow, showing Atreo that he truly did mean it. Atreo could feel her cheeks blow up in red, waving her hands around. "I - it's fine!" She squeaked out. "Truly, it is! Besides... without that trouble, I wouldn't have met them y'know?" Atreo shrugged or tried to causally. 

Trey just smiled at her while Ace felt uncomfortable since one, he was leaning away from the table so they could talk and two, they were talking about him the most. "I am literally sitting here," He said with a sigh. Cater immediately changed the atmosphere. "Come on!~ We’re in the same school so we should get along!~ You guys, give me your numbers!~" Cater cheered as he whipped out his phone to pass it around the table.

Ace and Deuce awkwardly inserted their phone numbers in Cater's phone before giving it back to Cater, who blinked. "Erm, Atreo-chan!~," Cater said cheerfully, "You uh, didn't put your number in y'know?~" Atreo looked around but at Cater, she even opted onto just staring on the floor before sighing heavily then glanced up, ready to see Cater's and Trey's reactions.

"I don't have a phone." She stated with a straight face. Cater's expression blew up into a shocked, surprised one. "Huh?! You don't have a phone?! That's crazy! You're like, an endangered species!" Atreo pursed her lips into a thin line while Deuce and Ace looked at her worried. They know the full story but still felt bad that she didn't even have one of the most common things that were universal. A phone. 

Atreo didn't know what to say but she did glance at Ace and Deuce. Should she tell Trey and Cater about where she was originally from? That she was not from this world? One look at Cater and Trey, she decided not to tell them. Cater would probably push it out of proportion while Trey seems like he would outright not believe whatever she told. She heaved another sigh before just dealing with what Cater was going to say next.

"Y'know, I know a place to get the newest models for cheap!~" Cater said as he finally replaced his look of shock with some sort of happiness. "How about we go on a date to choose one?~" Cater winked at Atreo who immediately had to try her hardest not to blush. "U - uhm." She stuttered out, leaning away from the table but also looking ready to bolt at any minute.

Trey seems to read the air well as he waved to get Cater's attention. Cater's gaze went to Trey, looking confused for a split second. "Cater, the newbie’s backing away. Keep it to a minimum." He said as he pointed to Atreo who looked like a mouse about to run away from a large predator. Cater blinked before laughing a bit. "Sorry sorry!" He apologized making Atreo shrug, once again trying to be casual about it.

"So, you guys were asking about the dorms?" Cater asked as he leaned on his palm, stirring his fork into a pile of noodles he had gotten for lunch. Speaking of Atreo decided that now was good to eat. Seems like the same could be said for everyone as they dug in momentarily. Atreo's stomach seems to gurgle in happiness at the food, making Atreo make a noise of happiness as well.

"That’s nice!~ A fresh convo! Big bro here will tell you everything!~" Cater said cheerfully. Before anyone could ask Cater or Trey about anything, Ace stepped in. "I wanna know about our Dorm first before any other ones. What's up with those crazy rules? Y'know, the 'Laws of the Queen of Hearts' ones?" Ace asked, face plastered with annoyance. 

"I’m sure you’re all familiar with the legendary Queen of Hearts, right?" Trey asked. Everyone nodded, although, Atreo and Grim nodded their heads a little hesitantly. If Trey or Cater saw their little hesitant nods, they didn't point it out. "To establish absolute law and order, she made severe rules to oppress the eccentric citizens of Wonderland," Trey said as the first-year squad continued to eat their lunch as they listened to him earnestly.

"And out of respect for the Queen of Hearts, our Heartslabyul Dorm wear red and black to represent the dress she wore. It's even on our armbands, see?~" Cater said as he pointed to his own armband which was indeed red and black. "Not only that. It's also part of our traditions to adhere to the Queen of Hearts’ rules." Cater mentioned.

Atreo just made a face but didn't voice it as Grim did. "Sounds like a stiff place to be around then!" "Took the words out of my mouth. I don't think I would fit in that dormitory." Atreo admitted before spooning some mac and cheese into her mouth. "Hmm? Why do you say that Atreo-chan?" Cater asked curiously after he took a bite out of his sandwich.

Atreo tilted her head to the side, poking at some bread on her tray with a fork. "I don't know, I would definitely want more freedom. I think with so many rules to follow and that would restrict me on what to do, I would go insane. That, and well, I can be pretty impulsive sometimes so I definitely would break more than 5, at the minimum." She stated as she took a bite of her bread afterward.

"See? Someone gets it!" Ace pointed out, finally happy that someone understood what he was feeling. "I'm just saying with so many rules, I'm surprised no one ever went batshit crazy from it. I'm starting to feel like it." Ace groaned as he took a bite of his food. "Well," Cater started, "It depends on our dorm leader really. Last year's dorm leader was pretty chill about them as long as no one would get in trouble, he was laid back on it." Cater stated.

"Compared to the other dorm leaders from the past, Riddle is just a little bit more serious. That’s why he’s trying so hard to keep the traditions." Trey pointed out. Ace couldn't help but sigh dramatically. "What a pain..." He trailed off while Grim asked Trey a question. "Hey, what kinda places are the other dorms?" Grim asked as he crew on a piece of his grilled chicken.

"Hey, before we do talk about the dormitories, can we please eat? I hate having to hear y'all with filled mouths and talking." Atreo stated as she glared mostly at Grim. Trey and Cater chuckled before nodding their heads in their agreements. "That's true, that's very bad manners you know?" Trey pointed out as they all stared at Grim who pouted. 

"Hey! I wasn't taught manners y'know!" "Right, I forgot that you're a monster," Atreo said, actually surprised. "What do you mean you forgot?!" Grim said, looking pretty offended. "I mean, it's just... You're so cat-like that it's hard to remember that you're a fire-breathing monster." Atreo admitted. Both Ace and Deuce peered at Grim before nodding their heads in agreement.

"If you took away the fire and replaced it with fur in his ears, he would definitely look more like a cat than ever." Ace said as he looked at Grim's body, inspecting it. "Don't forget the tail. If he took that way as well and replaced it with a normal cat's tail, he looks like he could even be friends with Lucius, Mr. Trein's familiar." Deuce concluded as he nodded, proud of himself. 

Grim growled as his tail flickered before tearing into the piece of grilled chicken. "Go eat so we can talk about the dorms!" Grim hissed out. Ace sent Grim a nasty look before resuming on his food while Deuce pursed his lips in a slight pout then eating his food as well. Atreo snickered before gleefully eating her food. Both Trey and Cater chuckled at the scene, noting that Grim doesn't seem to take the cat comparison lightly.


End file.
